From Fire To Smolder
by Kae Aleah
Summary: "You can never escape! For we are the same. You are me, as I am you." The wicked do not rest, for they patiently sit in the darkness for our dear Jeanne. She waits by the smallest fires at night, begging for daybreak that is still hours away, but that is not the only thing that haunts her dreams. As Azog draws near, a smoldering dragon opens his amber eyes that burn into her.
1. Second Installment

Welcome to the second installment of Fireborn! Jeanne's story! If you're not already familiar with the first story, _From Ember to Fire_, then please read that first.

**Order of Fireborn Stories**

1\. From Ember to Fire

2\. From Fire to Smolder (You are here)

3\. From Smolder to Ash


	2. Awaken

**AWAKEN**

_I KNOW YOU ARE THERE..._

Deep within the misty mountains were the old halls of Erebor that had laid vacant for the last 150 years, but inside was like a world of dreams that every poor man or greedy Dwarf has had at least once in their life. A waterfall made of glittering silver and a small ocean of brilliant and dazzling gold. It had remained untouched, unnoticed by the sun but the shining treasure was beautiful enough that it could burn your eyes if you gaze upon it for too long.

_AND I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME..._

An unknown rumble began to shake the horde of treasure and the coins started to slide off this creature who laid buried within the ocean of gold. It shook and trembled the whole mountain as the treasure began to slip off these scales made of armor...revealing a closed dragon's eye underneath.

_AND I KNOW...THAT YOU HAVE AWAKENED..._

The eye shot open and burned with this molten gold color that had baked within the fires since the day he was created.

* * *

Our dear Jeanne gasped suddenly and her eyes flashed open, flickering back and forth between a shimmering blue and a burning ember. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and the unusual gray veins began to slowly disappear.

It was the middle of the night and the moon has decided to resign high in the sky and shine down a shimmering pale light on the sleeping camp of Dwarves. Finally, they were given a chance to rest since it hasn't been long since they escaped from Azog and his Warg scouts. It wouldn't be long either till they caught up with them and will be forced to flee. Azog and his scouts though...weren't the only thing that had Jeanne worried and kept her up for most of the times. She felt her stomach twist and turn as the air gradually became hotter day by day. She was sure that no one else had noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere but knew it wasn't because of the Orcs that they haven't noticed. It was merely Jeanne alone that was unfortunate enough to pick up on these small connections that she felt every so often.

If Jeanne was born from fire... than Smaug the Terrible was just like fire himself. He _was_ fire.

Just now...she felt a connection with the terrible creature and had made a grim discovery that he, the dragon...is **waking up**.

Jeanne took in a deep breath from the hot air and exhaled it back out into the world when a shiver suddenly ran down her skin like an icy needle. She snapped her head up towards the cliffs and narrowed her eyes. "Azog?" She said as her eyes began to flash a golden color. She scrambled up to her feet and rushed over to the sleeping Dwarf prince, Thorin Oakenshield and started to shake him frantically, but the Dwarf was a light sleeper and sprung awake immediately, yanking Jeanne's hand out of habit. Once he saw who it was he calmed down, but not for long, for Jeanne's eyes were burning.

"Jeanne?" He spoke in a slightly panicked voice and brushed his hand to the side of her face. She filched from the sudden action and froze when his warm yet rough hands touched her skin. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Jeanne smiled very slightly to comfort him and pulled his hand away. "I'm fine but...Azog...he's coming." Her voice shuddered.

Thorin's eyes slowly for only a minute before they narrowed. He gripped Jeanne's hand tightly when it began to tremble with growing fear and distress.

* * *

Dawn was approaching fast but that only meant bad news for the party, for Azog the Defiler was still hot on their trail and getting closer with every step him and his Warg pack took. The Dwarves only knew that once daybreak rose, that they would be at a disadvantage in the light.

Jeanne stood by the rocks and saw Bilbo running down the path after getting a good look at where Azog was. "So?" She asked. "How close were they?"

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worse of it." He said in one breath. Frantic and pale, the young Hobbit was.

"Have the Wargs picked up on...or, uh, Miss Jeanne's scent?" Balin took a glance at Jeanne who only looked down. It wasn't her fault, he knew. Jeanne's scent was very unusual and smelled of iron and smoke.

Bilbo was quick to defend Jeanne. "Not yet, but they will; we have another problem."

Gandalf's eyes went wide. "Did they see you?"

"No, that's not it."

Gandalf smiled. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." He said proudly as the Dwarves chuckled with appreciation.

Bilbo tried to get his panicked words out. "Will you listen...Will just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there."

Jeanne's face noticeably became pale. "Bilbo, uh, did this thing...take the form of a bear by chance?" She gave a worried glance to Gandalf who shared her concern.

Bilbo paused. "Ye...yes, but bigger, much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked and Jeanne shook her head. "I say we double back."

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Thorin cut in.

Gandalf spoke up but the way his voice sounded was uneasy. "There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

Thorin looked skeptical. "Whose house? Are they friend or Foe?"

"Neither. He will help us, or...he will kill us." His answer didn't sit right with the Dwarves.

"What choice do we have?"

Next thing they hear was an ear-splitting, bone-rattling roar that sounded nothing like a Warg. It was something else. Something bigger. And what made it all the more worse is that this new creature...it sounded closer than Azog and angrier.

"None," Gandalf said.

* * *

The race to shelter and potential safety was on. The party began to run through plains and through streams as the sound of the howl got closer and closer, but they didn't see the bear yet.

"Come on! This way quickly!" Gandalf shouted while leading the way.

It was a determined run that turned into a panicked dash once the ear-splitting roar sounded like it was a few feet behind them. Jeanne stopped and turned around and swore she saw something large stomping its way through the thick brush.

"Don't stop! Run, Jeanne!" Thorin grabbed Jeanne by her hand and dragged her along.

They made it out of the thick woods and saw a house surrounded by large hedges in the middle of the plains. They made like an arrow and darted right for it, and Bombur...somehow was able to outrun all the Dwarves. He was an unstoppable force until he ran straight into the door of the house and fell back. The Dwarves ran up to the locked door and began to pound on it.

Gandalf looked back the edge of the forest and saw the beast, the mighty black bear that was taller than all of them break through the treeline. It trampled the woods and ripped up the roots as it began to run towards them.

Gandalf screeched at the Dwarves who still haven't opened the door. "Open the door!"

Jeanne pushes through the Dwarves and up to the door. "Oh, you're taking all day about it." She reached her arm out and lifted the exterior bolt and finally, at long last, the door opened and the Dwarves poured in like water just as the bear made it to the house.

The bear slammed its large body against the door as the Dwarves worked together to fight the creature off. It snapped and snarled, roaring like a monster at them. They were able to slam the door shut and barricaded it with a piece of wood in front of the door. After the life and death situation was over, Jeanne felt like her heart was going to burst from all the running and adrenaline that ran through her veins. She backed up against a support beam and slid down it, taking a breath of relief.

"What is that?" Ori said.

"That...is our host," Gandalf said and took a glance to Jeanne to see if she was alright. She gave him a small wave to assure him. "His name is Beorn, and he is a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear; sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of Dwarves." He scanned over his party...that was mostly Dwarves.

Dori exclaimed. "It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious: he's under some sort of dark spell."

"Don't be a fool; he's under no enchantment but his own." He said. "Alright now, get some sleep, all of you." Gandalf noticed the heavy dark circles under Jeanne's eyes. "You'll be safe here tonight..." He turned around and mumbled under his breath. "I hope."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Welcome back again, my lovelies. Our dear Jeanne is back with the Dwarves and we got a long road ahead of us. We got weekly updates and exciting developments in Jeanne's and Thorin's relationship. Let me know that you're enjoying it because it really helps with motivation and I tend to write better with it.**

**Oh, and I almost forgot. The connection between Samug and Jeanne. I thought it would be interesting if there was a faint link between them since they are both from awful origins of darkness and in a way...fire related. I was fighting for a way to begin the second installment so I thought, at the last moment, it would be pretty cool if Jeanne sensed that Smaug was waking up and be terrified. God, I can't wait till they meet...and write the beginning of Thorin's downfall because of the treasure and Jeanne's reaction to it. That's gonna be heartbreaking to write in the third installment, but that's not for a while, so until then...please enjoy FFTS (From Fire to Smolder).**


	3. Bad Omens

**BAD OMENS**

The next morning they finally had the liberty of meeting Beorn at last. Now, Jeanne was intimidated by Thorin when she first met him but there was something about Beorn that made her feel sad yet uneasy, especially when he looked at her fiery hair. His gaze felt heavy and his voice was deep and seeded with old anger that felt like he was holding back for years.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield," Beorn spoke while he poured the party some milk. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" He said but his gaze was on Jeanne when he spoke it.

Thorin noticed Beorn's heavy eyes towards her. He could even feel Jeanne's uneasiness. "You know of Azog?" He walked up behind Jeanne and set a hand down on her shoulder. She flinched but relaxed greatly when he stood behind her, almost protectively.

"My people were the first to live in the mountain before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved."

Jeanne's eyes fell on the remnants of manacles on Beorn's wrist and felt a pit in her stomach grow, like she was the one to blame when that wasn't true.

"Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

Small Bilbo spoke up with his humble-sounding voice. "There are others like you?"

"Once, there were many," Beorn answered.

"And now?"

"Now, there is only one." His words carried this grimness that made the room fall into silence. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?"

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf said.

"You are running out of time."

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

A shift turned in Beorn's deep eyes. "A darkness lies upon that forest. Foul things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

"We will take the Elven Road. The path is still safe."

"Safe?" Beorn scoffed. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not." Once more, his eyes fell upon Jeanne.

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot with one who carried bad omens. You'll never reach the forest alive with her."

Jeanne felt her stomach plummet to the ground when she realized that he was talking about her. It's not like the world knew who she was or how she came into existence, but his words made her heart flutter with anxiety. Her skin began to crawl, and out of habit, she covered her arms with her sleeves.

What did Beorn mean when he said 'Bad omens'?

Thorin narrowed his eyes. "Bad omens? Are you referring to Jeanne?" He watched Beorn with careful eyes as the giant-of-a-man stepped up to Jeanne. He reached out his hand to grasp a lock of her red hair. Thorin tightened his grip of Jeanne's shoulder and felt his worry start to creep up on him too.

"It is said...women who carry scarlet hair are the harbingers of death...the very incarnation of hellfire. Bad Omens are what they are referred to and have been shunned for the last 100 years." His gaze was heavy. "But...I never thought I would meet one who's hair resembled fire so closely. If I didn't know any better... I would think you were born in them."

Is that what the world thought of scarlet haired women? Because of her, because of Sauron, people have been treated like a reject all because of the existence of scarlet hair. It made Jeanne sick to her stomach of what the world might have done to these innocent women the whole time she's been hiding away, the real source of the widespread panic.

"It's merely a superstition." Thorin snarled. He could feel Jeanne tense up and began to tremble as the panic set her. Her heart was beating so hard right now that he could feel it. Probably even hear it too. "Nothing else." He growled his words out.

"Yes...but it's a very well known superstition. I have seen it first hand too...Orcs taking away the scarlet ones and soon killing them...it's like they were looking for someone...specific."

If he spoke anymore, her heart would actually stop dead in her tracks. This was too much for Jeanne. Just way... too much.

"Do..." Jeanne took in a deep breath. "Do you...believe that scarlet haired women will bring the end times?" She waited for his anger with threatening silence that soon followed.

"No. It is after all...a superstition. What do you need?"

Jeanne took a breath. Her once-tight throat opened up and it felt like she could finally breathe again. She reached her hand up and gripped Thorin's hand, surprisingly he held on just as tight.

* * *

They were given ponies to ride and were able to make great time to Mirkwood and avoid any kind of danger, which was off-putting for Jeanne. Beorn said that the lands were crawling with Orcs but they haven't seen a single one after they left his home.

Gandalf dismounted his horse and walked up to the edge of Mirkwood. "The Elven Gates." He looked over the ancient archway that sat at the beginning. "Here lies our path."

Jeanne followed suit and pulled her hood over her head out of habit. Mirkwood was dark, not dark like Valnora, but a kind of sickening darkness that would make the mind corrupt with illusion.

"No sign of Orcs." Dwalin noticed. "We have luck on our side."

"Luck..." Jeanne mumbled in a dark tone. "No such thing."

Gandalf looked grim. He turned his head and saw something off in the distance. It was Beorn in his bear-form watching from the ridge. "Set the ponies loose." He said and watched as Jeanne followed the path in a few feet before stopping.

The moment Jeanne stepped inside, she felt her heart stop. Her skin shuddered and her teeth began to chatter from the unexpected chill. "This forest...it's sick." She said as her eyes scanned the vines that grew over the old statues. Her bones began to creak like old wood and her skin burned for some reason too. The gray veins were still not visible but something began to echo in her ears. She began to hear Galadriel's voice.

_"Something moves in the shadows unseen, hidden from our sight. Everyday it grows in strength. Beware the Necromancer. He is not what he seems"_

Something was wrong.

She felt captivated by something all of a sudden and moved like a mindless doll up to the vines that covered the statue and glided her hands across the leaves. She didn't feel her heart beating. She felt nothing but this burning sensation that ran under her skin like a thousand needle pricks. In one quick motion, she grabbed the vines tightly and yanked them down. Not ember, but black. Jeanne's eyes flashed a dark, empty, abyss-like black as the gray veins began to resurface once more. She let out a deep guttural growl from her throat and stepped back as this bitterness ran through her body, making her feel sick.

Jeanne's throat closed up immediately and she began to dry heave for some reason. She broke out into a cold sweat and wanted nothing more but to throw up right there and then. She was strong enough to keep everything inside though.

Gandalf noticed immediately the sudden and frightening change in Jeanne and rushed up to her, steadying the unbalance girl. She acted like the wind had just been knocked out of her. "Jeanne? What is..." He stopped himself when he saw what had frightened her. On the statue behind the vines was a red painting. It resembled a flaming eyeball. It was only a second but Gandalf saw an image flash in his head of a frightening eye that burned with the flames of hell, but with pure, abyss-black pupils that resembled Jeanne's just now.

Her eyes returned to normal and the veins disappeared. It was only for a second but never had she had a reaction like that, one so strong and frightening.

"The High Fells. So be it." Gandalf took a breath and began to rush back over to the Dwarves who were about to let his horse go. "Not my horse. I need it!" He urged Nori to stop.

Jeanne snapped out of her daze and jogged over to him. "You're leaving us?"

"Believe me, Jeanne. I would not do it unless I had to."

Jeanne couldn't help but feel dejected when he said that, but it's not like she didn't understand why. Something was off and it was strong enough to cause that reaction from within her. This was something Gandalf had to do.

Gandalf turned to Thorin with an actual pleating look in his eyes. "I'm sorry but...please...watch over Jeanne."

Thorin's strong and reassuring gaze burned into Gandalf. "I intended that from the start. Don't worry. She is in my care."

Gandalf gave a nod of approval. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter the mountain without me. This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray." He mounted his horse just as it began to rain very lightly. "You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." He bid the Dwarves goodbye, leaving Jeanne with one last hopeful smile before ridding off.

Jeanne watched as Gandalf left as the company turned and began to head inside the forest. She sucked in a deep breath and reached for the edge of her hood and yanked it off her head, letting the light rain cool her body off. She took the moment to breathe in the free air before having to go into Mirkwood were it would be a burden soon.

"Jeanne. Come on." Thorin called out to her. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's day."

Jeanne closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment to take in the freedom one last time. With as much courage as she can muster, she pulled her hood back up and joined the Dwarves into the dense forest of Mirkwood.

* * *

**Let me know what you think of this chapter and the story so far. I like to read reviews because it helps with motivation. **


	4. Mirkwood

**MIRKWOOD**

The air was gray and the color was dense...or, maybe it was the other way around. Jeanne didn't know anymore. She felt her lungs burning and head spinning the longer her and the company traveled through Mirkwood. It was an old forest and everything about it feel murky and heavy. It was hard to keep up with the path too because of how badly overgrow things were. Dwalin had to tap his hammer on the ground and feel around for the sound of concrete.

Jeanne dragged her feet and kept her eyes firmly on the ground and tried to focus only on the path. The moment she would look up though is when her stomach began to turn and feel sick. It was strange because it felt like she was swimming through water, or maybe something thicker like mud. It was hard to move and stay focus on your own sanity at the same time when the long claws of the forest were creeping in on you. Mess up once and you will be wist away into the darkness, never to be heard or seen of again. Even Thorin's voice sounded like it was miles away when she knew for a fact that he was right in front of her. Jeanne had to keep a grip on the back of his coat to make sure she wouldn't get lost because It felt like it would be easy too.

"Keep moving," Thorin said when the company came to a sudden halt, causing everyone to jolt into each other. "Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin marched up to the front (With Jeanne still clinging to his back).

Nori stood in front of the group and lifted a shaking finger to the path. "The path...it disappeared." Before him was nothing more but a cliff that led to an unknown abyss.

Jeanne felt her heart began to speed up when this dreading feeling washed over her.

The path was gone?

But we were supposed to stay on the path.

Are we lost?

* * *

Whether it was a couple of minutes or a couple of hours, Jeanne didn't know. Was it still daylight or night time, she still didn't know. Time awareness seemed to have slipped from her mind. They spend what felt like all day searching for the path, retracing their steps but found nothing but growing anxiety and dwindling hope.

"I don't remember this place before. None of it's familiar." Balin said.

"What hour is it?" Thorin asked.

"I do now know. I don't even know what day it is." Dwalin said grimly.

"Is there no end to this accursed place?" Thorin raised his voice and yet, in his own muddled mind, he didn't realize that Jeanne released to the back of his coat and had wandered off.

The Dwarves began to fight and shove among each other as Thorin stated quite, listening to some strange whispers that carried through the wind.

"What's that?" He mumbled before turning around and raising his voice to everyone. "Enough! Quiet! All of you!" His voice dropped. "We're being watched."

Bilbo squinted his eyes and turned his head around to see if something was lurking in the darkness, yet something caught his attention. "Red..." He mumbled and his heart dropped. "Jeanne?"

Thorin flinched at the name and snapped his head behind him, now realizing that Jeanne had disappeared. "Jeanne?" He and the Dwarves begin to pick up on the severity of the situation and look around frantically for any sign on red in this dull color palette. "Jeanne!"

* * *

The blackness begins to seep into her eyes and she feared that she would pass out. The air was hot, humid, dry, dense and maybe even poisonous. Jeanne even refused to look behind herself anymore because last time she did, her shadow was morphing into this figure that she did or...did not recognize. All her senses and emotions were beginning to split away and all she was doing now was mindless wandering. Jeanne took in a deep breath but it didn't satisfy her and made her heart feel at ease. There was nothing in this world right now but dull colors and black skies. The sun had abandoned them and so had...

Sun...?

"Sun." She finally spoke through a cracked and dry voice. "Where is the sun?" Jeanne picked her head up and gazed to the trees that had blocked out all light. "It's almost like Valnora forest...the trees blocked out the sun." Something began to move again in her heart and her blurry eyes slowly widen. "Sun...That's right. We need..the sun."

She placed her hand firmly on the tree in front of her and began to make the grand climb with weak limbs and almost blackened eyes that could barely see 5 feet in front of her. She pushed herself urgently though through the thick brush and past even thicker spiderwebs that went unnoticed by her almost useless eyes. The only thing she could focus on now was a little splinter of light that started to bleed through the thicket.

Almost there!

Almost...sun!

Her hand broke through the leaves and she climbed out. It was as if the spell was lifted and her eyes cleared up and the strength returned to her body in one solid breath filled with fresh air. Jeanne could finally see the sun once again that set before eyes her, half-hidden behind the mountains.

It was daybreak.

"How wonderful." Jeanne smiled and looked to her left, spotting a lake not so far, and a bit off in the distance was the Lonely Mountain.

Her chest felt light once more without the heavy air from the forest bellow her, but her skin suddenly felt like it was burning. A reaction that only happens when something was wrong. She only now realized that she couldn't hear the ramblings Dwarves bellow her anymore. Jeanne frowned and looked back down in the dark brush of the forest but saw nothing...when the shaking of tree leaves caught her ears. Jeanne looked back up above the trees and saw something shaking them in the distance, getting closer with every second as these voices in her head began to speak.

"Food! Food! Food! Glorious Food!" Said the multiple scratchy voices that hissed out their words.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope those spiders like the smell of ash and burning flesh. Jeanne is afraid of a lot of things...but she ain't afraid of freaking spiders that are about to eat her friends. And I would imagine that Jeanne wouldn't need to ring to understand the spiders like Bilbo had to do. **


	5. The Spiders Aflame

**THE SPIDERS AFLAME**

It was a group of large and ugly spiders with long, hairy and prickly legs, grotesque fangs with sleazy voices that could crack the toughest glass and make the strongest shiver in their own skin. In the time Jeanne was away, they managed to wrap up all the Dwarves in thick webbing and hung them up as storage for wood. They hissed and crawled around their web around the Dwarves and debated in which one they should suck the life out of first, unbeknownst to them of the burning amber eyes that pierced through the thick leaves of Mirkwood. Jeanne wasn't far behind and used the darkness to her advantage to sneak around the spiders. They didn't seem much interested in anything else but their meal, but luckily they haven't eaten anyone yet, though it was a matter of time before they did. She narrowed her eyes that burned with fire and clenched her staff tightly in her hand until her skin turned white with the pressure.

A sneaky voice caught Jeanne attention and she found a lone spider dragging a web sack to its home. This sack was quite small compared to the rest of them so Jeanne knew it was Bilbo inside. She moved around in the shadows and inched closer and closer to the spider that went unknown to her presence. She drew out her sword as the spider leaned down close to Bilbo, flexing its hairy legs like it was going to bite him when a white-hot sword came out of nowhere and stabbed the creature right through its face. It convulsed a bit but didn't utter a sound as it quickly died. The spider fell off of Bilbo's body and curled its legs inwards before Jeanne finally emerged from the shrubs with a sword burning hot in her hands.

Jeanne quickly kneeled down beside Bilbo and began to rip the webbing off him just as he started to come-to. Bilbo jolted awake and desperately grabbed ahold of Jeanne while she calmed him down. "Shh~ shh~ It's alright. I got you. I'm here." she whispered in a gentle voice.

Bilbo had to take another minute to calm himself down and realize what happened. "There was...was...spiders! H-Huge ones, and Thorin...he...he was looking for you and began to panic when he couldn't see you anymore."

Jeanne furrowed her brow at that and felt a strange confusion in her heart. It sped up for some reason and clenched up like someone was squeezing it. It was similar to that strange feeling of excitement but still so very different. She wasn't excited. She was worried, but those words caused a smile to crept to her red lips. "He was?" Her voice creaked and she forced the smile off his face. "Quickly. We have to get out of sight from the spiders. now!" Jeanne hissed and began to pull Bilbo back into the darkness before the others could notice. She wrapped her arms around Bilbo and whispered into his ear. "Can you stay hidden for me? I can get rid of the spiders but you have to free everyone else after I do so. Can you do that?"

Bilbo sucked in a deep breath and nodded quickly. "Hide until they're dead. Got it. Totally got it." Of course, he was more than willing to go with this plan until a thought came to mind. "Are you sure you'll be alright though?"

Jeanne nodded and got up, folding her hood over her hair. "Of course I will. Just...stay here and, uh, think of a name for your sword, I guess."

Bilbo frowned. "A name for my sword?" He looked down at his weapon and pulled it out as Jeanne disappeared into the darkness. "Name...the name of my sword. Name...the name, Hame, Came, Same, Cain," Bilbo frowned. "No. That's already been used. Uh...Change, Stane, Sting." Hold on...that one actually didn't sound that bad. "Sting..." He mumbled and stared at his reflection in the sword. "Sting, huh? That's a good name."

* * *

The large and hideous spiders hissed in whispering tongue to each other while surrounding one of the Dwarves that was tightly wrapped up in webbing. It was Bombur and was still very much aware and panicking. He managed to kick one of the spiders but that only seemed to excite them even more.

"Ahh! The meat's alive and kicking!"

"Kill them! Kill them now. Let us feast." They began to change as the slowly enclose in on the poor Dwarf who let out muffled screams. "Feast! Feast! Feast!"

There was a loud snapping noise alerting the spiders and drew their attention away from the Dwarf in the nick of time.

"What is that? What is that? What is that?" They hissed and looked up the treeline and saw Jeanne standing above them on a branch, her face and hair obscured by her hood. "Ohh! It's another one! Big feast! Big feast! Nice and juicy!"

Jeanne saw that their fangs were practically watering with hunger. They began to crawl after her through the mass webbing. She turned around and jumped back down to the forest floor and took off through the darkness with the group of spiders hunting her down.

"Feast! Feast! Feast! After it!" They chanted and ran past Bilbo who waited patiently for all of them to be lead away.

Bilbo finally let out a breath once the danger was about gone, though he was still worried about Jeanne. He hoped she could take care of the spiders because he really didn't think he would be much help to her.

He got back on topic and climbed up the trees to where the company was still strung up and cocooned in webbing. Bilbo took his newly named sword, Sting, and started to cut all the Dwarves out of the trees. They all began to wiggle themselves out of the thick webbing and help each other.

Thorin yanked all the webbing off him and looked around desperately. "Bilbo!" He called up to the Hobbit still in the trees. "Where's Jeanne? Have you seen her?"

"Jeanne?" Bilbo looked up and stared into the thick woods and expected to see nothing because of the darkness and shady trees, but very faintly, he saw flashes of orange flames and the groaning and shrieking pains of spiders

"It hurts and it burns!" He heard one of the spiders shout before there was another flash of orange before darkness swallowed everything up.

Bilbo pointed ahead of himself. "She drew the spiders away so I could get you down! I think...I think she's still fighting them."

Thorin felt all the air get punched out of his lungs and he struggled to even get his words out. "Jeanne..."

* * *

Jeanne's body leaped in the air and flipped over the large body of the spider before suddenly stabbing her burning sword into its abdomen. The creature shrieked and jerked her around like a bear as the fire from her sword burned and boiled his insides.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

Jeanne jumped off the spider just as it curled up and died. She looked over her shoulder at the last two spiders that cursed her while hissing venom out from its fangs. It dropped on the ground and began to sizzle at their legs.

"Kill it! Kill it! We do not need to have a feast with it! Kill it!"

She took one quick look to her staff that was stabbed in the ground and back at the spiders who stood in her way and charged. She ran forward and suddenly dropped to her knees and skidded right under its body before it could stab its legs into her. She leaped back up to her feet and ran for her staff.

"Where did it go? Where did it go!" It hissed and tried to turn its body around.

Jeanne's eyes began to glow amber and her veins turned gray the moment her fingers curled around her staff. It suddenly began to morph its shape and the unbloomed end of her staff suddenly began to split open very slightly. Sire flushed out from the cracks and ignited the end like a flaming flower from hell.

She swung it around like a mace and smashed the flaming ball right into the spiders face. Its gross and squishy eyeballs popped out of its head and flopped to the ground, dead. Jeanne quickly reversed her sword grip and let the blade face the ground and suddenly rammed it upwards in the neck of the unwelcoming spider that was trying to sneak up behind her. It twitched a bit with its long legs jolting above her head like it was going to strike down. The life faded from its eyes and its body fell limp against the ground.

The staff tapped twice against the dirt and the fires from the inside were sealed up and the unbloomed flower went back to its normal shape. Jeanne took in a deep breath and looked around at the damage she done. A couple of fried spiders, one bludgeoned spider, and two stabbed spiders. She counted all them out and was left with five bodies. Something wasn't right though. The group was too small for such a large web. There had to be more, just where though?

"Jeanne!" She could recognize Thorin's low and intimidating voice anywhere since it had the strange ability to make her heart speed up.

Her lips twitched upwards and she took in a deep breath. "Thorin!" Jeanne shouted back through the darkness where no such light could pierce through.

* * *

Thorin and the rest of his company stopped where they stood. They looked around at all angles but it sounded like the voice came from all directions. They can't pinpoint where she was at all in these woods full of illusion and false hope swarming in darkness. They couldn't find Jeanne, and that thought alone was making Thorin's stomach turn. He promised not only Gandalf but himself that he would look after Jeanne and never let her out of his sight. But she was lost now in the kind of woods that was always working against you.

"Jeanne!' his voice howled through the shrubs but he heard nothing back.

Bilbo went on ahead where he last saw Jeanne but they haven't heard back from their burglar either. It wasn't just those two who were lost, it was their own company. There was no way out and the creaking sound of new spiders was getting closer.

Thorin looked up and saw a large body of a spider land before them and hissed loudly. Above them though, a blonde Elf leaped across the treetops and swung down from the siders web. He slid under its legs, killing it before facing down the Dwarves with his bow and arrow raised to the company.

"Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf," he hissed. The Elf was of average height and like all his kin, he was quite handsome too. He had long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that could chill everyone to the bone. His tone was just as menacing though because he was serious. "It would be my pleasure."

The company looked around and noticed that they were outnumbered by other Elves who waited in the shadows with their arrowheads raised to their faces.

Perhaps...it was a good thing that Jeanne and Bilbo weren't here right now.

* * *

Bilbo huffed with himself and began to double back to where he last saw the company after a fruitless search for Jeanne when all of a sudden he was pulled from behind. his mouth was covered and he was pressed up against a tree and face down their lost scarlet wizard, Jeanne. She quietly placed her finger to her lips and removed her hand. They peaked out from behind the tree and saw in the distance, their company being surrounded and searched by the Elves.

"Are we going to do anything?" Bilbo whispered.

Jeanne shook her head. "No,' she said. "We need them to get out of Mirkwood. Afterward, we'll break Thorin and the rest out of their holds. Just stay hidden for now and we'll think of a plan on the way."

Bilbo nodded and they silently watched as their friends were taken away by the Elves. Jeanne frowned to herself though and had a hard time thinking up a plan that would work with where they are being taken.

_"Legolas Greenleaf..." _she mumbled in Elvish. _"If you're here, then that means they're taking them back to...King Thranduil." _Jeanne swallowed hard.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Did any of you notice my Cain reference from my Genesis series? Haha. **

**And I do hope I did alright with Jeanne's mini fight scene with the spiders and describing the change in her staff when she grabbed it. I always wanted her to wield a flaming staff-like mace and beat the crap out of people. I was planning on doing it in the third installment but... I guess not everything goes as planned. **

**Anyway...I'm tired as hell because I just got back by my nightshift at work that lasted from 2:00 am to 10:20 am. Sorry if you find any mistakes because I felt like I was kinda in a funk when writing and editing it (Which I probably shouldn't do when tired). Hell, I'll go back and edit better when I wake up but I guess this is good enough for now. **

**See you all next week!**


	6. The Woodland Realm

**THE WOODLAND REALM**

Jeanne gestured her fingers over to Bilbo and they both quickly hid behind the surrounding trees. The Elves lead the Dwarves across the bridge into the Woodland Realms, home to King Thranduil. This...was the last place she wanted to be. It wasn't like Rivendell, these Elves, especially Thranduil wasn't all that keen on her existence and was in favor of just executing Jeanne instead of letting her live. Gandalf and Lady Galadriel wouldn't have it though so the demands of the Woodland Realms went without action and bad blood formed between her and the Elven king.

"The gates going to close, Jeanne," Bilbo whispered to her and watched the Dwarves cross the bridge of no return. Once it closed, it would be impossible for them to escape back through it again. They would have to find another way out.

Jeanne bit down on her lip and looked around and below her. "For the time being, follow them. I'll find another way inside and try to find a way for all of them to escape." Bilbo nodded. Jeanne quickly carried off down an opposite path of the trail and disappeared below the bridge of the gate.

The Hobbit took in a deep breath and waited for Jeanne to disappear down the lower trail. He pulled something out from his pocket, a golden ring that glimmers like molten fire in his hand. He stared dreamily at the band before slowly slipping it onto his finger...and disappeared.

Legolas stopped at the gate and looked over his shoulder at the path they just came down from but saw nothing. "_Close the gate_," he said before passing the doors that shut tight behind him.

* * *

Like all Elves, Thranduil was beautiful, but he carried himself very differently. His profound voice was intimidating and mysterious. He spoke as he already knew why Thorin was here and what his purpose was. "Some may imagine that a noble quest is a hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself suspect a more prosaic motive: attempted burglary, or something of that like." He started down at Thorin who was stone silent. "You have a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule the King's jewel, the Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help."

Thorin's voice was cold. "I'm listening."

"I will let you go if you but return what is mine." Thranduil offered but Thorin turned away.

He scoffed at the offer. "A favor for a favor."

"You have my word. One king to another."

That made Thorin's blood boil a bit. He spoke as his voice got louder and louder while his words flew from his mouth. "I would not trust Thranduil, the great king, to honor his words should the end of days be upon us! You...!" He spun around and roughly pointed to the great Elven king. "lack honor! I've seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once, starving and homeless, seeking your help, but you turned your back. You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us!"

Thranduil suddenly got in Thorin's face and hissed the deadly venom at him. "Do not talk to me of dragon fire. I know its wrath and ruin...but..." his words suddenly took a darker turn. Thranduil's body shook with seething anger and rage as his face began to shift. It took a hideous shape and was covered in old burns and scars. "Nothing...absolutely nothing compares to the fires of the woman who was born in them..."

Thorin could feel his heart began to speed up immediately. He knew who this mad king was talking about and only knew of one person who could ever be born in fires that could rival a dragon, who could cause the whole world to fall into ruin at the mention of her unique features. Hair as red as fire and eyes as destructive as lava.

* * *

_The freshly born Jeanne stood before the Elven King with Gandalf at her side. Her skin was as pale as pure starlight, her long scarlet hair ran down her back like lava, and her eyes were as lovely and vibrant as cornflowers...but flat. Her facial expression matched and appeared completely emotionless, void of any kind of life despite the innocence that adapted to her young-looking features. This brought a great deal of confusion to Thranduil as Jeanne only looked to be in her mid-'20s._

_"This is..." Thranduil shook his head and turned away from Jeanne. She tilted her head in confusion when he spoke. "...nonsense!" he snapped harshly and made the young looking girl jump. The king whipped his head back around. "You can't expect me to accept this, do you? This is beyond dangerous and you know it."_

_"She's young," Gandalf exclaimed on Jeanne's behalf. "It hasn't been long since she was created so...theoretically...she's just a child and had nothing to do with Sauron."_

_Thranduil's face began to contort the longer he had to stare into Jeanne's void-eyes. "Just a child...I can understand how you can be tricked by her innocent face, but...I can't allow this to carry on..." he turned his body away and reached his hand slowly up to his sword. "And I won't," he spoke coldly and spun his body around, drawing his blade out. He saw Jeanne's once empty eyes change for the first time and became terrified, like a scared child. That was the last thing he saw through until fires flared out from the palms of her hands when she brought them up instinctively to defend herself. _

_Indeed, Thranduil has no doubt that Jeanne was still merely a child who had never seen the world, but that day he knew that an evil was still attached to that body of hers. This wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to exist. Jeanne...was no less dangerous than Sauron, he was sure of it._

* * *

Thorin said nothing and kept his face flat and unreadable so Thranduil wouldn't pick up on it. The king pulled away and his face turned back to normal.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen." he hissed and turned around to step up to his throne. "Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an Elf. I am patient." he spoke as Thorin was taken away by the guards. "I can wait."

* * *

Thorin was thrown into a small jail cell where the rest of his kin were scattered throughout the halls.

Balin called out to him upon his return with Thranduil. "Did he offer you a deal?" he asked.

"He did." Thorin huffed and nodded his head. "I told him he could go 'ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugun!'-him and all his kin!"

Balin sighed deeply and dropped his head. "Well...that's it, then. A deal was our only hope."

Thorin smirked and walked over to the bars of his cell door. "Not our only hope."

* * *

Time seemed to have passed on very slowly for them and Bofur was sure that the sun had already risen. "It must be nearly dawn," he said.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Orin groaned.

"Which is why I brought these along." Thorin's eyes widen and he snapped his head up to the door. He saw Jeanne standing in front of his jail cell with a smile on her face while jangling the keys in her hand.

The Dwarves then suddenly exclaimed in enthusiasm for their Miss Jeanne who they haven't seen since she suddenly disappeared in Mirkwood a couple of hours ago. No words could describe how good it felt to see that scarlet hair once more.

"Jeanne...!" Thorin rushed to the door and pushed against them but of course, they won't budge. He reached his hand out and brushed it against her face. Jeanne froze in her spot at the unusual gesture while her heart tightened up along with this weird sensation that made her stomach flutter too. "Are you alright?" he asked urgently.

"Yes, yes. I am just fine-"

"But the spiders."

"I delt with them. Thorin," she grabbed his hand to pull it off her face but he kept an iron grip on her small wrist. "I'm fine. I swear." she began to feel him relax a bit and he released her hand. "I've met up with Bilbo too. He and I found a way out of this place." she urged them while unlocking all their doors.

They all followed Jeanne deeper into the Woodland Realms, across the twisted halls and into what looked to be the wine cellar. It was the place where Jeanne was able to find another way in and meet up with Bilbo, who was currently waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. His arms were crossed and he was impatiently tapping his foot against the ground.

"Is that everyone?" Bilbo asked.

Jeanne nodded. "Yes."

The Hobbit did a quick count of all the Dwarves before leading them down the stairs. There were several empty wine barrels stacked sideways down the middle of the room. "Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!" He insisted.

Dwalin gave him a look. "Are you mad!? They'll find us!"

"No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you must trust me!"

The Dwarves pondered on it and turned to each other and began to decide what to do. Thorin cut in quickly though and hissed at all them.

"Do as he says!"

Against their better judgment, they did as they were all told and climbed into the open barrels. Jeanne helped Bilbo into one and stepped back. She counted all the barrels to make sure that there were enough for all them, including herself.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked as all the Dwarves stuck their heads out to see what Jeanne was doing. "Aren't you getting in?"

Jeanne smiled at all of them. "In a moment." She walked over to a lever on the ground and pulled it. The ground below the barrels began to tip and the barrel-o-Dwarves began to roll out into the open where a river waited at the bottom. The trap door closed up and Jeanne smiled to herself. "There now..." She stopped herself when she began to hear the shouting of Elves coming down the stairs with loud footsteps. She snapped her head around and found out that she been spotted.

"_An intruder!_" A woman Elf shouted.

"Ah..." Jeanne gave an awkward smile and backed up over the trap door. "I know how this may look but I can assure...you?" Her words fell short when the floor below her slowly began to tilt. "Ah!" she cried when her legs slipped up and she landed on her back. Jeanne slid across the floor and crashed into the water below the trap door.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Man...this was a speed write. I wrote it, slept on it, and just posted it the next day. I hope you all are ready for for the barrel ride the next chapter! And I do hope you liked that mini flashback of Jeanne's past. I hope you all are enjoying the sequel so far!**


	7. Barrel Ride and Orc Raids

**BARREL RIDE AND ORC RAIDS**

"Miss Jeanne!" Gloin fished around in the water and managed to grab ahold of her coat and yanked their lady out. He threw her headfirst into the empty barrel. "Don't worry, I got you."

Jeane felt at least three Dwarves pat her hard on the back while she expelled all the water in her lungs. She gasped for air and pulled her hair out of her eyes and mouth to see clearly. "Oh..ah." she hacked up the rest of the water.

Thorin reached into the barrel and yanked Jeanne upwards towards the surface of the barrel. "Well done, Jeanne." he patted the half-drowned Jeanne on the back and she gave a weak smile in response.

The Dwarves began to paddle through the lukewarm water down the narrow cave system until they heard the rumbling sound of rushing water. There looked to be a drop in the stream ahead, a waterfall that led to the great open sky, fresh air and all. Their goal was in sight and all they had to do now was get out of the Elves territory.

"Hold on!" Thorin shouted.

The stream dropped and they tumbled down the waterfall. Lungs filled with water, heads banged against the wood and everyone crashed into one another. The rapids were rough but they were making great time towards the gate ahead. There was a sudden loud horn blow though and Jeane witness the gate slowly creaking to a close, impending their escape.

"No!" Thorin shouted as they came to a halt, unable to float any further down the river to sweet victory.

The barrels began to pile up and the Elves started to crowd in on them. One Elf jolted his body though and he suddenly collapsed to the ground with a black arrowhead sticking out from his back. An Orc climbed up on the guardpost and snared at them with his crooked teeth and grueling voice. They were swamped by a pack and the Elves had no choice but to take their eyes away from the Dwarves to defend the guardpost. The party was stuck in the middle of an Orc raid against Elves with bodies falling into the water one after another.

Taking a chance, Kili got out of his barrel and hopped up on the guardpost, dodging the Elves and Orcs while he tried to get to the lever to unlock the gate.

"Kili!" Jeanne gripped her sword and yanked it out of her sheath. She held it in the air and threw as hard as she could. It pierces an Orc right through its face and pinned his body to the wall.

Kili grabbed her sword and used it to clear a path to the lever when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg when he was inches away from the thing. He gasped from the shock and looks down to see a black arrow embedded into his skin. Kili tried to reach for the lever that was just barely in reach, but the arrow drained him all his strength and he collapsed, dropping Jeanne's sword off the edge and into the water.

"No," Jeanne shouted but could no longer see her weapon. It sunk to the blackness of the river. "Kili!" she looked up and saw the young Dwarf struggling to move his body and knew...that something wasn't right. "Kili?"

An Orcs began to inclose in on Kili when an arrow shot out of nowhere and pierced it through the head. An attractive She-Elf ran out from the bushes and drew on her bow to take another shot when the rest of the Elf troops, including Legolas, ran out and fired a mist of arrows. This gave Kili a chance, and with the last of his strength, he raised up to the lever and finally pulled it down, releasing all the Dwarves stuck at the gate. They waited for Kili to jump down into the barrel, breaking off the arrow and gasping in pain, grabbing the She-Elf's attention.

Once more they were on the wild barrel ride through the mightly rapids that chucked and threw the Dwarves side to side in their barrel. Jeane was sure she was gonna have some pretty bad bruises if they ever get out of this situation. The Orcs were relentless though and chased them downstream, shooting arrows at them that luckily struck the barrels, and tried to cut them down when they floated by. Weapons went flying into their rough hands when they came upon a log that the Orcs used as a bridge to get close.

"Cut the log!" Thorin shouted and swung a 'borrowed' axe up and struck the log. The Dwarves, one by one, hit the log until it finally collapsed under the weight of all the Orcs that tried to kill them.

Jeanne kept a death grip on her staff that she had braced above the barrel. She took in what felt like a gallon of water down her throat. She tried to cough it up but only got another gallon. Her head was woozy and her throat burned from all the water, so she hunkered down into the barrel and waited for the ride to be over and for her river sickness to pass (Kinda like seasickness).

* * *

Land! Sweet, sweet land, Jeanne climbed out onto the steady rock and just basked in the sun for a bit. It warmed her shaking body. Her skin was a sickly green color and she looked like she was going to throw up any moment because of the large amount of water she swallowed and bruises she got. Literally, no force on Middle-Earth could make her move from this spot right now.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked and looked upstream from where they came. He couldn't even hear anything anymore, they drifted so far.

"Not that I can see." Balin looked over his shoulder.

"I think we've outrun the Orcs." Bofur followed up.

"Not for long." Thorin took a glance to Jeanne. She was just sitting there with a stone look in her eyes and green-faced. She was huddled up in a ball and just shook in silence.

Kili grit his teeth in pain and tried to wrap his wound up in some cloth but the blood just kept on seeping through. Jeanne slowly shited her head and gave him a concerned glance.

Kili caught her gaze on him like a hole being burned into his back. "I'm fine, it's nothing," he said and finally looked at the state she was in. "You honestly look worse than me right now, Miss Jeanne."

Jeanne managed to sputter out one single phrase. "Motion sickness."

Thorin walked over to Jeanne who didn't even look him in the eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked and Jeanne took a few seconds to answer.

"We...got an Orc pack on our trail...we gonna keep going." She said in short terms with a quivering voice. Her teeth were chattering too.

Honestly, her stomach was dancing right now. It twisted, turned, jumped in every direction and the feeling made her sick. Jeanne knew that they had to keep going but with the way she was right now, and Kili's leg...Nothing was looking promising.

Balin sighed. "A lake lies between us and the mountain. We have no way to cross it." he pointed out and Jeanne's head dropped.

Thorin rubbed his hand up and down her back to try and calm down her sickness. "We don't have any weapons to defend ourselves either." he took one look at Jeanne and Kili. "Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes."

That was the longest two minutes of Jeanne's life, and she did nothing more but sit still and looked off at the calm water current to try and find some sense of relief. It helped a bit, or time was just passing and her stomach was finally beginning to settle down. She could breathe easily now and her muscles weren't so tense.

A looming feeling suddenly came over her and she lifted her head up, seeing a large man hovering over her with a bow and arrow in his hand. His clothes were worn down and lacked color and his boots looked like they were a second skin adapted to his legs.

"Guys!" Jeanne distressed voice grabbed everyone attention.

"Miss Jeanne!" Dwalin rose up to defend her. He held a branch in his hand.

The man then suddenly shoots a single arrow at Dwalin and pierce the center of the branch, taking another shot at Kili who tried to throw a rock, knocking the rock out of his hand in a split second.

"Do it again, and the scarlet one dies." the man hissed.

Jeanne just sat there, astonished at what just happened and was still trying to process everything. "Me?" she spoke innocently and pointed to herself.

Dwalin slowly approached the skilled man with his hands up and placed himself between him and Jeanne. "Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketon, if I'm not mistaken," he spoke. "That barge over there won't be available for hire, by any chance."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The barrel scene was the most...infuriating thing to write. Jeanne buckling down in the barrel was literally just me wanting to stop with the scene and move on. I'm still not overly convinced that it was good. I was hoping to at least aim for decent if anything. I'm pretty good with one on one combat, but total chaos...lets just say that LOTR's Helms Deep is gonna be a challenge. (The Hobbit trilogy is good practice though).**

**Now though...finally. We have calmed down and I can focus on Jeanne and Thorin's relationship during their stay at Laketown. **

**Jeanne's motion sickness was actually kinda cute to write, to be honest. It kinda makes her feel harmless and human. I took a lot of inspiration from my own experience, not with motion sickness but with heat exhaustion. I would have the same reaction as her. My skin would turn green, my stomach would be doing the macarena and I wouldn't dare move from the threat of throwing up.**

**And I originally was gonna have Jeanne keep her sword through her whole story but I thought of a better idea. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this...annoying barrel chapter, and I'll see you next week. **


	8. Welcome to Laketown

**WELCOME TO LAKETOWN**

"What makes you think I will help you?" Bard the Bowman said. The Dwarves stood by his barge while he loaded the barrels upon the deck.

"Those boots have seen better days," Balin remarked and gestured down his shoes. "As has that coat. No doubt you have hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?"

"A boy and two girls," Bard said.

"And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty."

Bard paused for a moment, his voice fading sadly. "Aye. She was."

Balin's smile fell when he realized what he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Dwalin interrupted rudely. "Oh, come on, enough with the niceties."

"What's the hurry?" Bard asked.

"What's it to you?"

"I would like to know who you are and what are you doing in these lands."

Balin opened his arms and smiled kindly. He bowed his head. "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

Bard scoffed and snuck a glance to Jeanne. The lady sunk down to the ground and hid her head away. "Simple merchants, you say? Traveling with a woman who brings Bad Omens." He ran his hand across the barrels that had dents and nicks that came from the river ride and Orc raid. I know where these barrels come from."

Thorin moved protectively in front of Jeanne. "What of it?" he growled his words. He felt Jeanne lift her hand and gently grab his upper harm. Thorin turned around and saw Jeanne's eyes pleading with him.

"Now is not the time to be defensive," she spoke softly and sat up. "I know things may seem..very suspicious right now, but if you're willing to work with us, for food, supplies, and weapons...we will offer more."

"Listen, I don't know what business you had with the Elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realms. He will see you in iron before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." Bard stared at Jeanne's innocent-looking cornflower eyes and it did tug on his heart a bit. She looked young (Despite being over 400 years old) and her eyes still held this childish youthfulness that hasn't seen the world yet.

"I figured that much, but I _know_ there are ways to enter that town unseen." her eyes were stubborn.

"Aye. But for that, you'll need a smuggler."

Jeanne sighed and looked back at Thorin. He gave a nod of approval and she looked back. "How about double?"

Bard stopped what he was doing and looked up.

* * *

The day slowly sank away as time went by the closer they got to Laketown. The air was humid, cold, and the water was freezing to the slightest touch to bare skin. Jeanne leaned over the barge and dipped the tip of her fingers into the water that had slabs of ice floating at the surface.

"Tell me," Jeanne spoke up and looked at Bard. "Have you...seen people of Bad Omens being taken away by Orcs?"

Bard was slightly taken aback by her innocent tone of voice. "I haven't personally but I know people who have. Good men have lost their wives and their children to this plague. For whatever reason it happens, I'm glad none of my own children have hair as red as yours. I can...only pity people like you."

Jeanne's face fell and she looked back down into the water. "Oh..." she mumbled half-heartedly. She glided her hand right above her own reflection and distorted the image until she couldn't see her face anymore. This new knowledge had really placed a heavy burden on her heart and now just looking at her hair made her stomach ache. She didn't put much thought into her hair color, but now...she was beginning to hate the bright shade known as scarlet.

Bard noticed the sorrow running within Jeanne's blue eyes. "You should know this. Things like this have been happening for over... maybe 300 years," he said.

Jeanne sighed. "Long story short...I've lived under a rock my whole life," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

Thorin walked over to the Dwarves that huddled around Balin as he counted up all the gold coins he had.

Balin's face turned grim. "There's, um, just a problem: we're ten coins short," he said.

Thorin sighed and glanced over to Gloin. "Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have."

Gloin actually looked offended. "Don't look at me. I have been bled dry by this venture! And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and..." he noticed that no one was paying attention, that everyone looking up.

Upon the hazy fog wall, a single mountain not so far in the distance laid. The Dwarves stayed quiet as their eyes widen in awe, a sight that they haven't seen in years.

"Bless my beard." Gloin took out a sack of gold coins and handed it over to Balin. "Take it. Take all of it."

Jeanne stared up at the mountain in just utter amazement, never once gazing upon something so ginormous in all her life. Just the sheer sight of it made her skin crawl and heart speed up.

Bard suddenly approached them fast. "The money, quick, give it to me." he held his hand out.

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before," Thorin told him firmly.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead."

Jeanne stood up to that and peered through the thick fog, seeing Laketown in the distance.

* * *

Everyone quickly hid in the barrels and stayed quiet as Bard pulled into one of the docks right outside the town. No one could see what was going on but Bilbo.

"What's he doing?" Dwalin asked.

Bilbo peered through the hole in his barrel. "He's talking to someone. And he's...pointing right at us!" he said in a panicked voice.

"Oh, no..." Jeanne's voice could be heard from among the barrels.

"Now they're shaking hands," Bilbo told.

"What?" Thorin's voice turned anxious.

"That villain! He's selling us out!" Dwalin growled.

They waited with anticipation as the sounds grew closer and closer when all of a sudden...dead fish began to get poured into their barrels. The Dwarves sputtered in surprise and let out frustrated groans, complaining about the smell. Jeanne sunk herself deep in her clothes and wrapped her face in her hood so she wouldn't smell the filth that made her stomach turn.

Bard kicked one of the complaining barrels. "Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate." He slowly brought his barge to the toll where the gatekeeper called out to him.

"Halt! Goods inspection. Papers, please." the Gatekeeper noticed who it was and lightened his tone. "Oh, it's you, Bard."

Bard tipped his head. "Morning, Percy."

"Anything to declare?"

"Nothing, but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home." he handed his papers over to him.

"You and me both." Percy walked inside his office and quickly stamped the papers for him and stepped back out. "Here we are. All in order."

A hand suddenly intercepted the papers and grabbed them from Percy's hand. It was a pale-ish gray man with black hair, welts on his face, and crooked teeth. His sickening and sleazy voice even had the power to make Jeanne's skin crawl when she heard it.

"Not so fast. Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realms. only, they're not empty, are they, Bard." he said in a condescending tone. "If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

"That's none of your business." Bard cocked a brow at Alfrid's empty threats. It was nothing he hasn't already heard before.

"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh come on, Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat!"

"These fish are illegal." he turned to the Laketown soldiers behind him and gestured his heads towards the barrels. "Empty the barrels over the side."

The soldiers took a couple of barrels at the side of the deck and started to pour the fish back into the water. Jeanne, inside one of them, banged her head against the inside. She bit her tongue to hold her cries of shock.

"Folk in this town are struggling. Times are hard. Food is scarce." Bard tried to convince him.

"That's not my problem.

Bard took a quick glance to one of the barrels that were close to revealing Jeanne's hiding spot, soon enough he would see the redness from her hair. "And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake, when the rioting starts will it be your problem then?"

Alfried finched at that and stared Bard down for a second, pondering on what he was going to do. He slumped his shoulders. "Stop," he called out and the soldiers slowly brought the barrels back up.

Jeanne sighed in relief, resisting the urge to gag from the stench of fish.

"Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard? Protector of the common folk? You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last," Alfrid scoffed as the gate was open and Bard began to pole his barge through. "The Master has his eye on you; you'd do well to remember. We know where you live."

Bard rolled his eyes. "It's a small town, Alfrid; everyone knows where everyone lives."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I wanna say real quick that THIS STORY IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE POSTED WEEKLY! IT'S GOING TO BE PLACED ON RANDOM UPDATES! I'm sorry for everyone who likes Jeanne's story but the motivation to write is starting to fade and I'm not as excited anymore I'm not going to quit writing for this story since I love Jeanne too much for that (She's like my child). but I need your help. Please, please tell me that you enjoy this story because it truly does help with motivation and that's what I need right now. **

**Once again I'm sorry to do this to all you, but I do hope to see you all when I post the next chapter. That's all for now, and until then, take real good care of yourselves. **

**-Kae Aleah**


	9. Exhausted

**EXHAUSTED **

Jeanne let out a surprised yet lively giggle once a bucket of cold water was dumped over her head and down her exposed skin that was covered in muck, dirt, and grime. All of which from merely having to swim in under Bard's house and come up through the...outhouse, to get in unnoticed. Those were not fun times and Jeanne would rather not do it again, but it can't be helped since the Master strongly disliked Bard for some reason. It was like he had agents all over the town and were constantly spying on him, though Bard, of course, knew that already and walked it off without even a bit of trouble.

She was just happy to get out of Murkwood and away from the suffocating atmosphere that diseased her mind with more worry and anxiety than she was used too. Jeanne feared she would have gone crazy if she stayed inside those cursed woods any longer. Even so, luck was on her side since she didn't have to run into Thranduil, that frightening Elven King. That Elf always made her uncomfortable and would, if given the chance, would chop off her head if met with the opportunity, especially after what she did to him all those years ago. Jeanne was still upset over that and greatly regretted doing that to him. It was completely out of her control though.

The eldest of Bards daughters, Sigrid apologized when she splashed the cold water over the lady's red hair. "Sorry. We would have warmed it up if we knew we were having guests."

Jeanne used her hand to sweep her scarlet hair from her eyes. "Oh, don't worry about it. I quite like the cold. It cools me down." She gave the young woman a gentle smile but noticed the youngest daughter, Tilda's curious eyes on her. Well, rather her hair. Jeanne blinked and was slightly confused. "Is something wrong?"

"Your hair," she spoke and gave a tilt of her head. "I've never seen such lovely colored hair before." A laugh escaped her lips and a smile crept up.

That made Jeanne stiffen in the bathtub. She generally didn't know how to respond to such a comment, but thinking about it now though...never in her long years did she ever recall someone calling her hair 'lovely' before. It made her heart flutter a bit with ease. "Thank...thank you." she managed to whisper out and just continued to sit meekly in the tub, legs curled up to the cold skin of her exposed chest. She stood perfectly still as the cold water continued to fall over her eyes.

Tilda spoke with such a voice that made Jeanne realize that she was quite innocent, not knowing the world in its entirety and how cruel it could be. She actually found comfort in the fact that she wasn't all that knowledgeable. Sigrid, on the other hand, was quite odd. The young woman looked at her, already knowing of the Bad Omens and yet didn't believe in them at all. She actually treated Jeanne like a human being and with a great deal of respect too, in which the scarlet lady was not used too.

* * *

The Dwarves huddled around the house and were given new clothes, though they didn't fit, it was keeping them warm, thankfully.

Thorin would occasionally glance over to the bathroom door and counted the minutes Jeanne was gone. He was worried for her since he didn't know how this family would react to her red hair, or if they would do anything to harm her. Thankfully though, the door opened and he saw her walk out with the two sisters.

Jeanne was given one of Sigrid's dress, a light yet worn-out blue shade that was one size off. It wasn't uncomfortable though, thankfully. Jeanne really was just happy to get out of those clothes she was wearing and put on something clean and dry. Tilda had her fun too with her hair and had it braided up in an elegant bun, only having a few loose strands handing out. The last thing she had on was a long coat that had a large hood. It belonged to Bain, but the kind young man gave it to her to hide her hair.

Thorin sighed with relief. "Are you alright now?" He asked, concerned since she was pale green up to two hours ago. He just wanted to make sure and ease his own worry. Jeanne looked considerably better, if not but a bit pale, he noticed

The lady looked up and met Thorin's intense and worries gaze. Immediately, she felt her face flare up for some reason. "Thank...uh, thank you for your concern." She tore her face away and quickly sat next to Bilbo who was wrapped up in a blanket.

Bilbo took a look at Jeanne and noticed how red her face became. He cocked a brow and looked between her and Thorin, frowning as this very particular thought crossed his mind that absolutely sealed his mouth shut. This was one time he didn't dare speak his mind since it wasn't his place to speak it.

Tearing his gaze away from Jeanne, Thorin glanced out the window and caught something that made his heart stop dead in its tracks. He saw on top of a town was a cross-bow weapon of some kind. A windlass but different.

"A Dwarvish Wind-Lance." He breathed, his eyes looking haunted by the sight.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Bilbo commented and took his cup of hot tea to drink.

"He has." Balin suddenly spoke up and walked up to the window. He had a gloom look on his face and his voice was drained from the memories that, to this day, still burned him. "The last time we such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came. The day the Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But the dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, would have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made. His store was running low when Girion made his last stand." Balin's words fell short with the end of the tale, already knowing his it ended...seeing how the dragon still lives.

"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different," Thorin spoke bitterly.

Jeanne perked up to the story and slowly turned her head towrds them. She caught a glimpse of Thorin's eyes briefly on her like he was searching for a sense of comfort from the grim tale that still haunted him. Her lips curled up if only a little and relief finally crossed Thorin's eyes. Seeing his face relax brought a great deal of ease to Jeanne's tensing heart.

Bard cocked a brow. "You speak as if you were there," he said.

"All Dwarves know the Tale," Thorin spoke coldly, snapping his attention away.

Suddenly Bain began to speak up. "Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left-wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

This was news for Jeanne and she generally looked taken back, probably a little hopeful as well if Dwalin hadn't shut down the theory.

"That's a fairy story. Nothing more," he spoke.

Thorin then began to stride up to Bard, entending on getting what he paid for. "You took our money. Where are the weapons."

He wouldn't dare sick his party upon the beast without any weapons, even with Jeanne there with them. Thorin can tell by looking at the woman that she was physically getting tired and weaker by the day. He figured it might be the stress of everything happening around her and the newfound information of Bad Omens. Along with the burden of having to slay a dragon, It was beginning to take a toll on Jeanne. It was starting to show on her face. Actually, he was hoping that she would take the chance and rest up.

"Wait here," Bard said and swiftly left the house, hopefully, to retrieve their weapons.

The Dwarves took the change to huddle together around the table where Jeanne was sat down on.

"Tomorrow begins the last day of autumn," Thorin reminded everyone about their short window.

"Durin's Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then." Balin said.

Thorin looked over to Jeanne and saw her grow pale with worry. "We'll make it." hesitating for a moment, he stretched his arm out to her shoulder. "We will," he said firmly and looked her dead in the eyes.

A minute later, Bard finally returned with a large bundled tarp of some kind. He placed it on the table and wrapped it, only to be met with disappointment and disgust. They were nothing but hand-made weapons that had worn out, rusted hooks and hammers with rotten handles. These were not weapons. This was not what they were promised.

Jeanne sighed deeply and dropped her head down into her hand, raking her fingers through her already messy hair. "This won't do..." she muttered in a low and raspy voice.

"We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged sword and axes!" Gloin protested.

Bard narrowed his eyes. "You won't find better outside the city armory. All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key." He explained.

At that moment Thorin and Dwalin shot each other a look at the corner of their eyes.

Jeanne's lips began to quiver. "I don't feel so good."

Thorin took a glance down at Jeanne and felt his heart suddenly freeze up. He saw her skin growing paler as the seconds ticked away. He was beginning to dread that Jeanne may actually be ill. Her voice was worn and raspy and her skin was a grayish pale. She really just looked worked.

"Thorin," Balin called out, catching Bard's attention with the mention of that name. "Why not take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now."

"You're not going anywhere." Bard suddenly cut in.

Jeanne flinched. "Excuse me?"

"There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town. You must wait till nightfall."

Thorin didn't make it known in any way across his hardened face, but he felt a bit of relief that they weren't going to leave until nightfall. Aside from Kili's injuries, he was growing more and more worried about Jeanne's exhausted state. Maybe this way she can get a bit of rest in the meantime.

Bard turned and headed out the door and stopped once he was outside, mumbling "Thorin" under his breath. He swore he heard that name before and it gave him shivers at the sheer mention of it. It was like something itching in the back of his mind.

"Da?" Bain called out to his father.

"Don't let them leave," Bard said and hurried down the steps and rushed through the town like he was on a mission.


	10. The Cold Dream

**THE COLD DREAM**

_Shivering in her spot upon a frozen lake, t__he once warm blood in her veins turned to ice. __Jeanne's teeth not only chattered from the cold but also the fear that heavily hazed that air like a snowy blizzard. __She wasn't blind by all means, but this thick veil of frost before her was hindering her vision. She couldn't see anything, absolutely nothing outside from where she stood...but she knew he was out there. The footsteps were unmistakable behind the haze. Jeanne couldn't place exactly where it was since it sounded like there were multiple people circling her at the moment._

_Jeanne bit down on her pale blue lips and breathed out a shivering breath of cold air. "Th...Thorin?" she hesitated to call out to what was beyond but no voice answered her plea, the overwhelming sensation of loneliness than started to eat away at her from the inside. "Oh, please no... I don't wanna do this alone." her voice was starting to crack from the stress, panic soon clouding her vision._

_"Jeanne!" Thorin's low voice suddenly cut through the blizzard but it sounded extremely far away, like a single lonely mountain dividing them._

_Jeanne lifted her head up at the sound, seeing what looked to be a tall dark shadow in the shape of a mountain in front of her. Feeling her heart sink below the ice, despair soon began to bubble up at the sound of cracking ice that began to get closer and closer. "Hello?" she called out in a shy whisper, too afraid to even raise her voice. She snapped her head around in search of the source of the footsteps but as quick as it all started...she couldn't hear it anymore. She couldn't hear anything, actually. No wind, no voices, no cracking. It was like all the sounds around her had stopped and she was left alone in this white void of isolation. _

_Silence wrapped around her cold body like a wet blanket. Moving about slowly on the ice, she felt her feet sliding around under her as she tried to back away from...anything really. Her body was screaming, her heart was racing and her mind was an absolute chaotic mess. The only thing she could hear was her throbbing and pulsating heartbeat drumming in her ears. Jeanne didn't take her eyes from the blizzard in front of her, staring at it as a dark figure started to become bigger and bigger until it was towering over her. A scream threatens to burst from her lungs when a pale white body ripped through the haze with eyes as blue and chilling as ice. _

_Azog._

_ He howled, screamed at her with his sharp teeth bared angrily. He raised his stump of an arm that had a twisted blade attached to it and thrust it straight through her chest. Jeanne let out a sharp gasp and felt only a shrivel of burning pain for only a fraction of a second before absolutely nothing. Her body just went totally numb, strength draining from her body like blood from a wound. Azog's lips curled up into an amused grin and he yanked the blade out from her chest. Jeanne stumbled back a bit and clapped her hand over her oozing and warm wound. She stared down at it and was expecting to see blood but only saw ice water spill out instead._

_Azog lifted his blade and saw the water dripping off the edge of the silver tip. He looked up and met her eyes. "**You're hollow**."_

_Jeanne's eyes slowly fluttered to a close. Her body began to fall and she slammed through the ice and was totally submerged in the frigid waters. She began to sink farther and farther bellow until her body was finally returned to the shadows._

* * *

Tilda lifted her head when she heard the sounds of soft moans and whimpering. She glanced over to Jeanne, the woman laying her head on the table, fast asleep and motionless. It didn't look like a restful slumber though. Jeanne's face was squinched up into a worried scowl and she was clenching her fists into tight balls.

Sigrid walked back into the room after bringing in Jeanne's old clothes, now clean and dry. "Is something wrong with her?" she asked, clearly seeing the dismay on Jeanne's fair face.

"I think she's having a nightmare," Tilda said and walked over to the sleeping woman. She leaned her face down close to Jeanne and saw that she was actually trembling. "Should we wake her up?"

Sigrid put Jeanne's old clothes down on the table and walked over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she tried to gently wake her up by shaking her a bit. It didn't work since Jeanne seemed to be in quite the deep sleep, so Sigrid put in a bit more force and roughly shook her. In a flash, the lady's cornflower eyes shot open with fright. She snatched Sigrid's small and frail hand and grasped it with way to much force.

"Ah!" Sigrid yelped in shock.

Jeanne's wide eyes were frightened and demented but she seemed to gather her bearings enough to realize what she had done and pulled away. "Sor...sorry. I didn't realize...realize what I was doing," she spoke in a small whisper and quickly looked down at her own skin, breathing a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't flaring up with ashen veins. Jeanne ran her fingers through her hair to stop it from sticking to her face, only now realizing that the house was quiet. She lifted her head and looked around the room, not spotting a single Dwarf. "Where is everyone?"

* * *

The townspeople crowded before the Masters home that the company of Dwarves was shoved in front of by the guards. A moment later, a rather overweight and balding man rushed out of the house in a huff, face bright red with annoyance and dressed in his nightgown, obviously after being just woken up from his slumber.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Master demanded.

"We caught them stealing weapons, sire," one of his guards informed him.

Small white hands began to push through the crowd of watchful people and Jeanne finally shoved her way through to witness what was going on. A deep gas escaped her lips and she lifted her hands over her mouth. "What are they doing?"

Thorin turned his head to the side and saw Jeanne's shocked face through the crowd. He made eye contact with her and could tell that she was pondering on what to do but he quickly gave her a signal with his head, telling her to not move from her spot.

This man, the Master, was absolutely repulsive. His hair was a dull ginger color (Not a fiery red like Jeanne's.) that was thinning with age, crooked teeth that had had a thin layer of muck on them, and skin that was glistening with sweat that formed from the time he woke up to the moment he walked outside.

"Ah. Enemies of the state, eh?" the Master presumed.

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, sire," Alfried said.

Dwalin clenched down his jaw. "Hold your tongue!" he spoke up roughly and grasped everyone's attention. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal. This is Thorin..." he gestured for the man to step up. "Son of Thrain, son of Thror!"

Jeanne looked around at the crowd and saw the shock rise up in everyone's eyes, as well as the denial filling the air as well.

Thorin took a deep sight and stepped up. "We are the Dwarves of Erebor. We have come to reclaim our homeland." He looked around at all the people, every one of them withered with age and hunger, that including the town itself that looked like it was barely standing. "I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at the harbor...filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of all trade in the North! I will see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves...and send wealth and riches...from the Halls of Erebor!"

His speech must have sparked something in everyone, filling their eyes and hearts with a will that burned hotter than the fires of Mordor. Even Jeanne could feel it as well as see it, the life returning this once great town that had long needed to hear those words. Too long had they lived in squalor, and no more did they want to return to the cold and darkened houses riddled with cobwebs.

Not too soon had hope began to return to everyone, a voice quickly snuffed out the flames. "Death!" Bard shouted and Thorin turned around to face him. "That is what you will bring upon us." The man pushed himself through the crowd. "Dragon fire and ruin. If you waken that beast...it will destroy us all." his voice was swollen with worry and determination.

"You can listen to this naysayer...but I promise you this...If we succeed." he looked the man dead in the eye, voice warm with sincerity. "All we share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth 10 times over!" his voice about shook the whole town that erupted in cheers.

"All of you! Listen to me!" Bard tried to break through the crowds cheering. "You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King...so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

"You speak as if you know!" The new voice was shrill, small sounding and not used to speaking up at all. Jeanne stepped forth and had to crank her head up to look at Bard. "Are you tired? Everyone in this town had been hidden away from the light and had long since forgotten what it felt like to have the sun on their faces. Your scared, I understand that, but isn't it time to face those fears...win or lose?" Her words were small but it made Bard flinch, shuddered away in silence at this young-looking woman.

Thorin was frozen still when Jeanne stood against Bard. He had this desire flowing through him that wanted to keep her hidden from sight so no man could harm the innocence that she still possessed. The look in her eyes said differently though, something that he had witnessed only once upon a burning hill when facing against Azog.

The Master finally spoke up. "Now, now. We must not, any of us...be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor...who failed to kill the beast!"

This took them by surprise and left Bard in a dejected state of silence as Thorin and Jeanne stared up at him.

"It's true, sire," Alfried said. "We all know the story. Arrow after arrow, he shot. Each one missing its mark."

Bard tightened his jaw and tried to march up to Thorin but Jeanne stood between them. It would have been easy to make her move but Bard didn't make an effort to get around her. He continued to hone his eyes in on Thorin. "You have no right. No right to enter that mountain."

Thorin sharpened his eyes. He reached out and grasped Jeanne's small and frail hand that meshed well against his oversized rough one. "I have the only right." He turned away from Bard and looked up at the Master. "I speak to the Master of the Men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you...share in the great wealth of our people? What say you?"

Uneasiness began to rise up in Jeanne's stomach as she waited for the Master's response, death gripping Thorin's hand in her silent state of anxiety.

The Master began to sport a big grin. "I say unto you...Welcome!' he offered his hands out, letting them into his town whole-heartedly. "Welcome, King Under the Mountain!"

Jeanne wanted to smile but something was itching in the back of her mind that made her nervus. She slowly released Thorin's hand and he looked up at her, seeing her lips fall into a worried and anxious frown.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It's been a while. I hope you weren't giving up on me. I'm honestly kinda excited for Jeanne to met Smaug though, cause I feel like they would have a lot to say to each other. That'll be an interesting conversation.**

**I also got some exciting news for everyone, not involving this story, but another. I'm thinking of posting a brand new story near the end of this month. I'm not going to give it away on what it's gonna be but I'll say this...it's going to be a TV show that we all know and love. **


	11. The Door Into The Mountain

**THE DOOR INTO THE MOUNTAIN**

Jeanne's head was spiraling out of control, sending her into this overwhelming state of disorientation. Because of the excessive cheering from the townspeople and praises of the Master, it took more than just a little willpower to try and not throw up right there and then, or even pass out. It was harder than she anticipated though while crossing over onto the barge they were given. Her stomach was crawling and slithering around like something was moving inside her, and her skin had shifted to this ugly pasty-green shade that went unnoticed by most people. Jeanne had a very natural fair complexion so no one noticed how bothered she was.

Thorin and Bilbo had taken notice of Jeanne's unusual state, maybe even Dwalin and Balin too since they kept casting glances to her.

Jeanne's uneasiness may have surfaced for a couple of reasons: She didn't like all the cheering or she probably was just nervous because they were so close to the mountain that held a fire-breathing dragon.

Bilbo wanted to ask her what was wrong but Thorin stopped him, placing his hand up and shaking his head. "Don't. Wait till we're far away from the crowd," he said low enough for only him to hear. "I'll ask her myself." He knew Jeanne was a special case. She saw and felt things differently from anyone else, an example being that she knew Azog was close. He was hoping she was just uneasy about the crowd and their excessive cheering...but if it's something more than he'll like to know what it was. "Just watch over her." He patted Bilbo on the back and watched him climb into the barge beside Jeanne, rubbing her back and trying to console her.

Despite the obnoxious cheering they were given, the townspeople were helpful enough to give them new clothes, better weapons, and a barge to cross the lake with. Thorin noticed that Jeanne refused their offerings though and kept her usual chainmail and sword, as well as her normal gray and red hooded dress. The rip that was at the hem of her dress was already repaired by Sigrid. Thorin didn't mind her wearing the clothes she already had with her. They suited her more since they covered her skin and hair, in which she still didn't feel comfortable showing to anyone, not even to her own company.

Bilbo counted everyone as they boarded the Barge. "You do know we're one short? Where's Bofur?" he called to Thorin.

"If he's not here, we leave him behind."

"We'll have to," reminded Balin, "if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."

They continued to pack everything into the barge when Thorin noticed Kili walking past him. He promptly halted him. "Not you," he said.

This startled Kili. "What are you talking about? I'm coming with you," he said with as much hope as he could but it was fading fast, just as much as his skin color was. His complexion was paler than Jeanne and he honestly looked worse than her.

"No, no."

"I'm going to be there when that door opens. When we first look upon the halls of our father, Thorin." He began to feel his heart swaying with impending dread.

"Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you're healed." Thorin said earnestly and patted him on the shoulder. Kili only looked disheartened by this sudden act that knocked all the air from his lungs. He could even feel Jeanne's eyes burning a hole in his back when she overheard him.

Thorin had to purposely avoid eye contact from Jeanne when he turned away from Kili to board the barge. Oin suddenly got up though from his spot and got off.

"I'll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded." he proclaimed and bowed his head to Jeanne. "Sorry, Miss Jeanne."

Jeanne's eyes became saddened as a frowned fell to her already pale lips. She couldn't say anything and only patted him on the arm while he went over to Kili.

Fili immediately marched over to Thorin, obviously upset and frustrated. "Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You cannot take that away from him! I will carry him if I must!"

Thorin stays his ground and didn't go back on his word. "One day you will be King and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin."

Fili turns to his wounded and pale brother before suddenly getting off the barge too. Thorin stopped and grabbed him though.

"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company." Thorin said but Fili yanked his arm off.

"I belong with my brother," he said through his teeth and stomped off towards Kili and Oin.

Jeanne frowned even more and dropped her head, staring down into her lap as Bilbo continually ran his hand up and down her back. She sighed deeply, and inside her heart, she felt a spark of anxiety beginning to boil like water.

The trumpets went off as the barge set off from the dock and down the lake, leaving behind at least half of the company and the rest alone to face down a dragon.

Jeanne's own worries grew worse and worse by the minute.

* * *

The air was misty and the snow caps upon the surrounding yet distant mountains became more noticeable the closer they got to their destination. Its large and brilliant figure loomed over them, completely still with not so much as a rumble below their feet: The Lonely Mountain was finally within reach.

Jeanne stood at the very edge of the cliff that overlooks an abandoned city that once held life and pleasures of all kind, but now it harbored no such things left in it, nothing but cobwebs and cracked pottery. The city was a ghost, a shell of its former glorious self. The beauty was not lost on Jeanne though and she truly could visualize such happiness running through the veins of the city...and just the imagination of it made her heart throb with immense excitement.

"Thorin!" Jeanne looked over her shoulder for him to witness the sight with his own two eyes.

He ran up beside her and gazed upon the city of old, one that he hasn't seen in such a long time.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked and looked at the city with the rest of the company.

"It was once the city of Dale. Now it is a ruin," Balin said grimly with disdain in his voice. "The Desolation of Smaug."

The sheer mention of that name made all the excitement flush out of Jeanne's body, and gradually, she slowly started to shake. Completely frozen in her spot, she fought the ever-growing desire to just break down and cry out of despair and fear, the same fear that been eating at her heart since the beginning of this long journey. It was always there, in the back of her head and under her heart, but now that they came this close...it was that same fear that finally made its presence known.

She didn't want to face the dragon.

The task was far too big and bold for such a small thing, like herself.

"The sun will soon reach midday. We must find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets." Thorin announced. "This way." He turned to move but noticed that Jeanne hasn't made so much as a twitch from her spot, so very close to the edge. "Jeanne," he called her name gently. Thorin placed one hand on her shoulder and finally noticed her excessive shaking. "Jeanne," he spoke more forcefully, not to scare her, but grab her attention.

Jeanne's lips parted very slightly and a weak gasp escaped. She flinched and finally shifted her eyes over to stare at him. "Thorin?" She wished her voice wasn't so weak sounding.

Thorin was taken aback when he looked at her. She was trembling and obviously frightened, so he knew at that moment that he had to talk to her. They didn't have the time but he absolutely felt like the quest will be at a standstill if he didn't listen to her words right there and then. "Jeanne. You're quiet more than usual. Everyone's worried," he told her and guided her away from the edge.

Jeanne blinked before her face twisted to shame, lowering her head to the ground to shrink away from his deep eyes that burned into her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trouble anyone."

He shook his head and squeezed her thin shoulders tightly in his hands. "Don't ever apologize. You've done nothing wrong. We just want to make sure you are alright with this. I want you to be honest with me. If something's bothering you then let me know right away."

Jeanne looked to hesitate for a minute and consider his words. She even noticed that the grip he had on her shoulders was getting excessively tighter by the second. It didn't hurt but it told her that he was very serious about her concerns. "Well...there is a couple...concerns I might have."

"What are they?" Thorin finally released her shoulders, sliding his hands down her arms until dropping them back down to his side. Jeanne felt a volt of electricity run under her skin when he did that, making her heart hurt all at the same time.

"Gandalf," she began. "He's not here yet, right? This is the overlook, the place he said he'll meet us but...he's not here. And you still intend to enter the mountain?"

Thorin bit down on his lips and looked away from her. "You know we don't have the luxury to wait for the wizard anymore. We simply...don't have the time."

"Then what about the dragon? The beast that lies within those halls. Do you honestly expect me to defeat such a creature by myself? You have too much confidence in me if you do."

That made Thorin snap back to attention. "I have nothing but confidence and trust in you."

Jeanne's eyes went wide and she sucked in a deep breath, feeling a fever of warmness throughout her body, as well as a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Speechless and somewhat out of breath, her mind raced over his words a thousand times a second to try and decipher where she heard those words before and why they sounded so familiar.

* * *

_"Jeanne..." He spoke her name, only her name..and saw those eyes began to spark once more with a chance...a small chance of 'something', 'anything'. "Do not say those words to me...when I have never been so wrong." Thorin's words held a great deal of pressure but what really broke this 'void', was when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her thin body and pulled her close, crushing her in this warmth that smelled of iron and mountain musk._

_Jeanne took in a deep breath and her body began to tremble just as much as her heart shook with it. "I don't get it." Her voice cracked._

_"You are my responsibility..." He pulled away and looked at her in the eyes. "And I shall see to it that you survive."_

* * *

"Do you understand now? You are so worried about being trusted when...I've already done that a long time ago." Never in Jeanne's whole time traveling with him had she heard such honest and soft-spoken words uttered from his deep voice that sent shivers down her spine.

This whole time, she was severely worried about him accepting her than the actual quest itself. Jeanne just felt silly now knowing that he trusted her long before she even realized it.

She opened her mouth but Balin called out to them.

"What are you two doing. Come on! We're going to lose the light."

Still breathless and confused. Jeanne could only watch as Thorin tore his gaze away from her and continued to catch up with the rest of the company. Only then did a small, gasping word escape her quivering lips. "Thorin..." Jeanne said with eyes as glassy as blue gems.

* * *

The hidden passageway was in the shape of the stone carvings of the old kings, tucked away in the side of the mountain. After climbing the stairs they came to a simple stone wall that they assumed was the hidden door. It was a bit hard to grasp and understand...that this was the only thing blocking their quest from moving forwards now. The light was fading from the sky and Durin's day will soon be over. If they didn't find a way inside...then it would all be over and the quest and anguish would have been for nothing.

Curious, Jeanne placed her hand against the chilling and cold surface and ran her fingertips across the smooth stone. She placed the side of her face against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment to see if she could hear anything, but of course, it was as silent as Valnora Forest. A frown pressed to her lips and she pulled back, stepping alongside the company to listen to Thorin.

"This must be the hidden door," Thorin said while inspecting the stone slab. His lips turned up into a proud smile when he shifted to face the group that had followed so far. "Let all those who doubted us, rue this day!" he announced while holding the key.

The company cheered in response to his powerful and true words, feeling just as proud of Thorin was. Jeanne was the only one who looked somewhat uneasy, but also a bit happy, gesturing to the small smile she had on her lips.

"Then where's the keyhole?" Jeanne spoke up and grabbed everyone's attention since she spoke the truth.

They had a key so there just had to be a keyhole.

Thorin looked back to the sun that was just about set, exploding in an array of colors. Orange, pink and red. A red the closely resembled Jeanne's hair. "The last light of Durin's day...will shine upon the keyhole," he remembered what the map said.

The company soon got to work to try and find the keyhole with what little light they had left. They moved their hands all over the stone wall to see if they could locate it. The minutes were rolling by quicker then they could search.

"We're losing the light. Come on!" Thorin said, becoming a bit panicked and impatient.

Mumbling under her breath, Jeanne repeated the riddle while glancing up at the orange glowing sun that was just about gone, only a couple seconds left until the light was gone. "Last light...last light...of Durin's day?"

It was beyond vague with little to no explanation.

Suddenly, Bilbo stopped what he was doing and looked over to Jeanne. "Could you repeat that again?" he said like something just suddenly clicked for him.

Jeanne blinked. "The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole," she repeated as ordered when it clicked for her too. "Shine? If it will shine then...why isn't it doing it right now?" she muttered as Bilbo and herself watched the company began smacking the wall with their weapons since they couldn't find it.

"I don't know... Isn't sunset the last light?" Bilbo frowned.

"That's what I assume." Jeanne's face began to contort with worry. "Is it not?"

They both stayed quiet for at least another five seconds while glancing up at the fading sun. They muttered under their breath while staring up at the sky, the last glow of the sun beginning to burn their eyes.

"The words were written under the moonlight," Jeanne spoke and her eyes became wide. She gently brushed beside Bilbo and went up to Thorin, grabbing him by his shoulder. "Thorin, wait." He sharply turned his head to look at her and Jeanne immediately felt her heart flutter in response. "I believe we're doing it all wrong."

Needless to say, Thorin was a bit startled when Jeanne grabbed him. He also felt a bit irritated that she would stop him when they had such little time left. "What are you talking about. We're about to lose the light." He made sure not to raise his voice but made it firm.

Jeanne swallowed hard and used every ounce of her courage. "You said you trusted me." She felt the muscles on his shoulder tense when she said them, obviously stunning him into muteness. "Please," she said, going as far as to plead with him.

He wanted to keep trying, break down the wall if he had to, but something must've compelled Jeanne to speak up. Only when she did that did he knew she was serious.

Thorin _did_ say he trusted her... and he did...with all his heart.

Slowly, he reached his hand up and grasp her small one tightly. "Alright. We'll do it your way." His voice was soft but vibrated through her whole body, holding her hand and having no intention of letting it go until all the light faded from the sky.

This was it.

He was putting all his fate into her now.

Balin's weak body forced him to sit down. "Thorin...are we really doing this?" He stared at him, bewildered and out of breath.

"Yes."

Spellbounding silence rolled over and everyone stared intensely at the stone wall. Thorin's face was firm while he continued to hold Jeanne's hand. Jeanne though was far too nervous and unsure of herself to even look, resorting to closing her eyes and facing the consequences afterwards if she was wrong.

The light of the sun crept on by...and that was it. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains and nothing but the chilling silence remained. No one said anything though since Thorin was still confident in Jeanne's words. He did nothing but stare at the wall as the minutes rolled by...and rolled by...until-

The clouds in the sky parted and the glassy moon finally appeared. Shinning bright moonlight down upon the stone wall and...right over the keyhole.

Jeanne slowly cracked open one eye and a breath of air escaped her parted lips. "Moonlight..." She glanced over to Thorin and saw the biggest smile climb to his lips. "Thorin?"

He had never once lost confidence in her.

Thorin held the key up but clenched Jeanne's hand tighter while he pulled her over to the keyhole. He placed it inside and was able to turn it all the way around until there was a distinct unlocking noise coming from within. They put one hand each against the wall and gave it a slight push...and the door finally opened. It leads them into the unknown, surrounded by darkness, excitement, and awe.


	12. The Beast Beneath The Gold

**THE BEAST BENEATH THE GOLD**

"We're going to die." Bilbo's words held no strength in them, withering in confidence upon the belief that they could actually deceive Smaug and reclaim the stone. Being in the halls now though, only a few steps away from the great golden floods of wealth, diminished their faith in more ways than one.

This was it, the young Bilbo thought. This was the moment of truth. Months of painstaking traveling had got them to this point in time. The reason for them being here.

Bilbo made like the many golden statues in the glorious halls and stood absolutely still, not so much of a twitch or even a blink coming from him. Then again, Jeanne was in the same circumstances as Bilbo, daring to believe that she actually might be more frightened than him.

If worst comes to worst and the dragon does find them, then she'll have to be the one to either fool it...or kill it, which the young Fireborn doesn't see happening at all! Not once in her life did she think she possessed the will, the power, or the confidence to pull off such a task. To her, moving the mountain itself seemed more possible than killing the dragon. A harbinger of death, the origins of fear.

Jeanne believed herself to be nothing but a small ember compared to Smaug, a raging inferno.

Nevertheless, she placed her best-quivering smile forward and patted Bilbo on the back, startling him a bit on accident. "Nonsense. Did you know it's bad to think that way? If we stay quiet...then perhaps he won't find us," she said, though it sounded more like a pep-talk for herself.

With their company lying in wait for their expected return, Jeanne and Bilbo locked hands together and ventured out of the safety of the halls.

The wide-open space lacked the light to see anything properly and the smell of mountain musk perforated the air, traces of iron and the odd smell of gold mixing together. Strange to believe that gold actually had a distinguishing smell if left alone for too long. They didn't see any gold though since everything was still dark. Jeanne had better eyes out of everyone in the company and even she couldn't pierce through the shroud of darkness. Then again, she wasn't sure if any source of light would alert the beast to their presence.

"Should we knock?" Bilbo asked, his overly polite manners bleeding through the fear out of habit.

Jeanne snapped her head down towards him. "Knock? You must be teasing me, right?"

"Well, I just want to make sure about what we'll be doing. That's all."

"You look for the stone while I keep an eye out for the dragon," she said. "If he _is_ here, I want you to go and hide immediately."

Bilbo didn't complain and just nodded his head sharply. "Good. Good, good."

They walked out to the platform that overlooked the whole inside of the mountain, and before their eyes held the shimmering golden galore of treasure. A mass wealth that went as far as the eye could see with gems of all colors mixed in. There were rubies, diamonds, and emeralds that could make up all the stars in the sky. But above all, what truly made this wealth grand was the overwhelming plentiful piles of pure gold. It was a sea of gold colliding with mountains of gold. Gold that could even run Gondor for years to come.

It was a moment of complete awe that froze Jeanne and Bilbo stiff. Dread struck them harder though instead of the findings of Middle-earth's wealth. They soon realized the magnitude of their situation and it made their confidence vanish from their bodies.

The priceless white gem, The Arkenstone...was somewhere within the sea of gold.

Jeanne's face fell all the way to the ground. "This...might be a bit harder than I first anticipated."

Bilbo held tightly onto Jeanne's hand as they stepped lightly, their feet shaking upon the loose sea of gold coins, everything vibrating beneath them. Even the slightest sound of a coin cascading downhill set them on edge and made them jump out of fright, soon finding it hard to trust any kind of noise.

It was a challenge but Jeanne made sure her ears were sharply listening to any audible sound that was different from the rest. She was looking for heavy and heated breathing, the sound of grinding teeth, claws scraping across the ground, wings flapping, and a louder and prominent heartbeat.

She wasn't foolish enough to believe that Smaug wasn't here. The proof was in her burning veins and eyes watering like smoke was drying them out.

Smaug was here, but where in fact? It was that thought that terrified her to her very bones.

She can't kill a dragon!

That's impossible!

That's too big of a task for someone as small as her!

Taking in a deep breath, Jeanne felt herself shudder while tugging down the sleeves of her dress. She stood around and just waited as Bilbo made good use of the time they had, searching through the treasures to find a jewel. Naturally, it was hard since there were more coins and gems then people in Middle-earth.

He pulled out small gems, clear ones, giant ones, and accessories that had jewels in them. Minutes went by though and they were all starting to look the same to him now. Annoyed, he haphazardly tossed a giant jewel aside when he deduced it wasn't the one. It crashed hard against the floor though and ended up making much more noise then he anticipated.

"Shh, shhh, shhh." Bilbo pleated as the noise settled once more.

Jeanne appeared like she was going to pass out from all the pent up stress and anxiety that was crushing her. She wanted to turn around and yell at Bilbo to find the cursed stone already, but she knew he was just as pressured as she was at the moment. The fact of the matter was, that she didn't want to stay there anymore. She wanted to hurry up and get out as fast as she could. Instead of yelling at Bilbo to hurry up, she just might cry and plead with him to hasten his pace.

"Arkenstone, Arkenstone. A large white jewel." Bilbo muttered under his breath. "Very helpful."

The minutes climbed and climbed on till they weren't even sure of how long they've been searching, within the unsettling peace and quiet. Jeanne sit down and just took the time to look around the room, seeing if she could spot the stone herself, while Bilbo continued his own search behind her.

He dug a goblet out of the pile which caused the coins above it to cascade down, and beneath the gold was the closed and sleeping eye of a dragon, still blissfully unaware to their presence.

Bilbo didn't say anything and only stared wide-eyed. He acted like he was going to say something to Jeanne, who still hasn't noticed, but no words fell from his dry mouth, only small gasps of air. Instead, he grabbed her by her shoulder and yanked her back behind cover and away from the dragon's line of few.

"Bilbo? What is the-" Jeanne did herself a favor and shut her mouth tight when she saw the lack of color in his face. She blinked in confusion at what spooked him and decided to peek around the corner. It was a single three-second glance but her eyes immediately honed in on the beast beneath the gold. Asleep, unaware, but still no less dangerous. Jeanne made a small whimpering sound and yanked her head away, breaking out into a cold sweat with earthquake-like tremors vibrating her whole body.

The dreaded sound of falling and rattling coins filled their ears as the nose and tail moved around under the wealth, revealing themselves and the true size of the fire drake. His body stretched wall to wall.

More and more coins began to fall as Jeanne stood up, walking out from behind cover but now as white as a corpse. Her voice was rattling just as much as the gold did. "Bilbo...go and hide," she ordered in a silky voice, cold and smooth.

"Are you insane?" Bilbo whispered in a hissing tone, stumbling to his feet and slipping on the gold too.

"Yes. In fact, I am. Foolish," her voice trembled and breathless, "...and beyond scared."

Bilbo couldn't move for a moment as the dragon became more and more visible as it rose from the sea of wealth, slowly waking up from his long slumber. He reached into the pocket of his coat and felt around the cold metal ring that was inside it. A spark rippled through his body that finally urged him to run, turning around on his heel so fast and flying down the hill. He was out of sight in moments.

Jeanne stood perfectly still, lying in wait within her despair, gazing upon the dragon with wide eyes. He was as big as she imagined him to be. Covered in dark scales that resembled armor, claws that could dig into the earth, and wings that could level mountains. He was terrifying but there was a vision of elegance that came from his form that was tall and mighty.

He was the last great dragon of his kind.

With a smooth motion, the dragon glided his massive body down at eye level with her and finally opened his eyes to glare into her soul. His reptilian pupils were heavy and intense. Filled with malice, strength, power, and the overwhelming sense of arrogance, all in which were swimming in the lava pools of his eyes. Being this close, Jeanne could at least make out over a thousand shades of yellow.

"You smell...like ash, Fireborn." His voice had the deepness of an ocean and the heat that could rival Mt. Doom. He sniffed the air and his lips curled, eyes glowing with curiosity at the small scarlet woman, standing before him like she was his equal.

"And you smell like gold, dragon." She made an attempt to match his voice with her own high sense of authority, cranking her neck all the way up to stare at the dragon's towering frame. His overall presence was overwhelming and made Jeanne want to curl up into a ball and hide away.

Smaug glided about smoothly as he walked around the grand halls, keeping his eyes on Jeanne and beyond. "I know your voice," he said while chuckling deeply, truly amused by her presence. "And...I know your face...but it's not your own face."

Jeanne's jaw tightened, trying to not make it obvious that she was scared for herself and worried for Bilbo. "I suppose you can say I'm borrowing this body."

"Without the intention of giving it back, right? That's quite a bold move, Fireborn." His footsteps made the whole room quake and the ceiling groan like it was going to fall upon them at any moment.

It was hard to breathe and her lungs felt as heavy as pure led. It weighed her down and stuck her to the floor with this dreaded sense of peril. She had to stay strong, not show weakness and not give it away that she was absolutely terrified. She's sure the color would've have drained from her face if she wasn't already pale near the start of all this.

Jeanne steadied her battered breath and very subtly glanced around the room to look for Bilbo, heart shuddering in her chest when she caught a very small glimpse of him a few feet away. He was hiding behind a column and peeking. She knew he was trapped there since Smaug was blocking the exit, though Jeanne seemed to be in a graver spot.

"Does it..." Jeanne looked back up to the detrimental and prideful dragon, "bother you?"

He gave a deep and vibrating growl, his lips curling once again but with annoyance coming from his voice. "I don't care about such matters. They are not my concern...and neither are you," he spat harshly

Jeanne struggled to think of more things to say to give Bilbo time to find another way around. "Well...It's not like I expected you to care. You bow to no man, after all. Not even to someone like me." she gave a weak smile that was so forced it made her cheeks ache.

"Indeed," he muttered, lifting his long neck high to look around the room. "So if you are not who you appear to be...then what shall I call you then? Nameless King? Fireborn? Bad Omen? Red?"

"For the last 400 years, I've been called 'Jeanne'," she answered.

"Jeanne?" he laughed at the unbelievably simple name. It didn't have any spark, no life, no meaning. It didn't make men's hearts shutter, terrify children, and make women faint. The name didn't even match her overall appearance. "Such a strange and unimpressive title."

Jeanne sighed softly. "I don't care for such a grand and bold name. The one I use right now is quite fitting for a nobody, such as myself. Not one such as yours: the great Smaug." She saw the dragon rise up to the very peak of his height to show himself in all his blazing brilliance, puffed up with pride. Within the crevices of his scaly armor though, Jeanne noticed something odd upon his gigantic body, staring at it with a peculiar look on her face.

There was a nick.

Utterly astonished, Jeanne sucked in a deep breath and was speechless.

* * *

_"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left-wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."_

_This was news for Jeanne and she generally looked taken back, probably a little hopeful as well if Dwalin hadn't shut down the theory._

_"That's a fairy story. Nothing more," he spoke._

* * *

"You are an entertaining one." Once again he gave this deep chuckle that came straight from his burning stomach. "I was almost tempted to call you a thief." He stretched out his words and curled around her as Jeanne tried to avoid being trapped.

"A thief? Do you hear my pockets rattling with coins? I don't care for your treasures." She tried to act like she was hurt and purposely looked away, stealing a glance back to the column that Bilbo was supposed to be hiding behind, but he wasn't there. Jeanne blinked a couple of times because it only been a minute since she first looked. How could he have slipped away in such a short amount of time?

"Oh?" Smaug's voice made Jeanne snap back to attention. He suddenly lowered his head nearly to the ground and pushed his wide ember eye right up close to her, glaring with suspicion. She felt the heat upon her skin and her body shaking when he spoke. "Then why are you here?"

Jeanne swallowed hard. "I've...come to talk." The words fell from her mouth faster then she could even think of a lie. That was the truth, asking for answers she knew she could never get from Gandalf. There was something she needed to know desperately and she will find out one way or another.

Smaug rose back up to his grand height with an exceedingly confused look stretching to his face. Surely he wasn't expecting that so the demand made him pause for a bit to process. "Talk?" he spoke to make sure, growing more and more curious with every second.

"That...that's right." Jeanne gasped sharply when a sudden painful thought crossed her mind. In an instant, her throat felt parched and sore. Fire seeped into her veins as they started to grow a dull gray color, eyes flashing a wild gold like molten lava. "Recently, or maybe you're already aware but...I believe Sauron has come back."

Her wild appearance and overall reaction to the cursed name even made Smaug stop moving, staring in silence and pondering her words. He actually snickered. "Oh? And why do you believe that?" he said, pacing around the room as the coins rattled below him.

Jeanne blinked the gold away from her eyes. "It's because my body feels cold now. A conflict of some kind, like I'm being pulled in a different direction and I don't know why."

"It's because it's not your body," Smaug reminded her, his voice making the air cold and spiking. "You stole it out from under the one true master of those ashen veins."

Jeanne's eyes went wide. "I'm in control of this body but it's still trying to find it's way back to Sauron?" Panic began to swell up in her voice.

"It's not the body that's trying to find it's way back, it's what the body was built around to give you your youthful and red appearance. It's a fragment of Sauron's soul." He hissed his words gleefully like he was entertained. "It's quite interesting though."

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest and dug her nails in her skin tightly. It hurt but not as much as his words did. "What is?"

"Your existence of course. Born without a purpose or greater good. You're an oddity. Yet...it's because that you exist that the world shakes." Smaug dipped down low. "Tell me, have you really thought it over...what will happen to you when all is said and done?" His voice was like a drum that struck her hard in the gut, and immediately she felt sick.

There was a kind of honesty in his voice that made Jeanne feel startled. A thought like that never crossing her mind, not once in her whole life. Breathless and lacking the right kind of words to even ask a proper question, only a single word fell from her mouth. "What?" Terror clouded her eyes like a gathering storm.

Smaug appeared to give a wicked type of grin, haven't to of been this interested in a long time. "Now, this is baffling...because your reaction tells me you haven't," he said, chuckling darkly. "I don't think you've grasped the situation you were thrown in. From what I see...you're options are limited. If Sauron claims the duplicate body, then you will perish. No questions asked. But if Sauron is defeated, then that possesses a different outlook. Will you live or will you die? If you die...then so be it. If you live...will you really be able to accept your reality and move on?" He was a dragon but his words were as venomous as a snake.

The fire in her veins was immediately replaced with a lightning shock of adrenaline. Her stomach dropped and it suddenly got extremely hard to breathe, like claws against her throat with tears welling up in her eyes, made of shimmering glass. She opened her mouth to speak but gasped sharply instead, quivering and afraid. "Oh..." is all she could really manage. She didn't dare speak anymore, knowing her voice would crack. As painfully terrifying as his words were, Jeanne made a solid effort to not break down in front of the dragon.

"Now, I think it's about time for you to tell me the truth, Fireborn." Smaug's deeply low voice made her draw her attention back. He growled out his words and stood tall, glaring with this deep intensity that made her skin feel like ice. "Where are the Dwarves that sent you here?"

Jeanne's eyes shot wide open and the obvious shock was present on her face, telling Smaug the truth even when she hadn't said anything yet. "What are you...talking about?" She made an attempt to lie.

He snorted and turned away briefly like he was searching for something. No doubt in her mind that he was aware of Bilbo still being in the room. "Don't try to trick me when you can't. You're old, I understand, but you appear to not know how to deceive people yet."

Jeanne was screaming inside her head and she was contemplating where to run, knowing the time will come at any moment. She studied her surroundings to make out a few exits that she could get too if she was swift enough and if Smaug didn't cut her off.

"I know the smell and taste of Dwarf. No one better. It is the gold, they are drawn to treasure like flies to dead flesh." His voice grew with anger.

Jeanne finally took her chance and ran straight through his open legs and out the other side. She didn't look back while fumbling her way through the heaps of golden coins, hearing the heavy footsteps approaching fast behind her, his voice like white-hot iron against her ears and confidence. Jeanne only felt panic now. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Did you think I did not know this day will come? That a pack of canting Dwarves would come crawling back to the mountain!" Smaug chased after her as the woman made sharp turns into narrow places he couldn't reach. "The King Under the Mountain is dead. I took his throne, I ate his people like a wolf among sheep. I will kill where I wish, when I wish. my armor is iron. No blade can pierce me!"

Diving for cover, she hunched down under a platform supported by pillars and sat quivering, covering her ears with her hands and closing her eyes tightly. Jeanne's hands were shaking so much against her ears that she could feel her heartbeat rattling and shattering, unable to shut out Smaug's hateful words that were made of poison.

* * *

The Dwarves waited anxiously but there was no sign of Bilbo or Jeanne. The sounds coming from within the mountain were getting louder and more aggressive too. They didn't doubt it anymore that the two had woken the dragon, knowing the sound of heavy footsteps anywhere, as it was burned into their memories from long ago.

"What about Bilbo and Miss Jeanne?" Ori asked, growing ghostly pale.

Thorin's face was stern and unreadable. "Give them more time."

"Time to do what? To be killed?" Balin stared at him, a bit surprised that he wasn't moving or doing anything to help them.

"You're afraid," Thorin said.

"Yes, I'm afraid. I fear for you. A sickness lies upon that treasure horde. A sickness which drove your grandfather mad," Balin said firmly, eyes tense with worry for their two companions that were out there, facing the dragon alone. He was especially worried for Jeanne, knowing how she would react if frightened enough. At times, she could be as skittish and hopeless as a wounded animal.

Thorin's jaw tightened. "I am not my grandfather."

"You're not yourself. The Thorin I know would not hesitate to go in there, but I'm more surprised that you could let Jeanne go in."

"What of it?" Thorin's eyes sharpened. "I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar or a woman.

This made Balin's eyes widen, astonished completely at who he was looking at, not even sure if it was the same man who would go above and beyond to protect _that_ woman. "They have names that you seemed to have forgotten about."

Thorin's sharp eyes stormed with at least a million kinds of emotions. He stood quiet as Balin's words circled through is head, repeating themselves constantly like a new kind of torture. His needs collided with his wants but an image flashed into his mind that settled the chaotic storm inside his head. He saw Jeanne's uneasy face and fierce red hair, practically feeling the warmth of her hands when they intertwined with his. It then suddenly dawned on him as the clouds vanished from his eyes. Balin was right.

Instead of bitterness, a horror surged within Thorin's gaze at what he had just done. He then swiftly turned on his heel and made for the great halls where the dragon was. "Jeanne...!"

* * *

"It's Oakenshield. That filthy Dwarvish usurper. He sent you in here for the Arkenstone, didn't he?" Smaug leaned his head down and made sure his voice was loud enough for her to hear. "I guessed his foul purpose some time ago. But it matters not. Oakenshield's quest will fail." His deep yet smooth voice made Jeanne continue to hunch down with panic. "You're right about one thing though. A darkness is coming. It will spread to every corner of the lands."

She wanted it to stop. She prayed for him to stop, to cease telling lies because Jeanne physically couldn't take it anymore. Every inch of her body was crawling and cramping, poking her with his words. Sharp as swords and as evil as shuddering shadows.

The tears managed to seep through her closed eyes despite shutting them tightly, streaking down her face and leaving marks. She couldn't breathe because her lungs were made of fire, and she couldn't move because her legs were made of stone. Sitting within her own growing fear, she did nothing as Smaug continued to mock her.

"You're being used, Fireborn. You were only ever a means to an end. The coward Oakensheild has weighed the value of your life and found it worth...nothing!

_He's lying._

"What did he promise you? A share of the treasure? As if it was his to give. I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece!"

_Enough already!_

"My teeth are swords, my claws are spears, my wings are a hurricane!" His voice made the whole mountain vibrate.

_Quiet!_

"I'm actually almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer. Watch it destroy him, watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad."

Jeanne's eyes shot open and shimmered in this deadly golden color made of hellfire. Her mouth fell open and her voice burst out deep from her fierce lungs, desperate and angry. "SHUT UP!" Her voice was so powerful that it even made the dragon stopped taunting her. "You're words hold no truth nor power anymore! Absolutely empty and desperate! Pitiful serpent, your age is over and you know it!" she seethed through her teeth, panic leaving her body and flowing with anger instead.

This ungodly silence rolled over the hills of gold as Jeanne waited for him to speak. She heard him shifting around and making the platform groan with his heavy weight, but he was still quiet. There was no doubt in her mind though that she might've angered him, and he didn't have to speak for her to know that.

He talked, finally, but his voice was growling. Smaug snarled and curled up his lips as an intense heat beginning to escape from them as fire bubbled up in his stomach. "I think it's time for you to return to the fires you crawled out from."

The mighty dragon leaned his head back before unhinging his mouth and spewing the fire from his jaw. It swept under the platform and scorched it, burning with all the intensity of Mt. Doom. It clawed at the floor like a thousand demons, reaching their fiery hands out to the frozen woman. Her blue eyes acted like gems and reflected the brilliant colors of fire that flung towards her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Damn, this story took a lot of freaking motivation and to get through, but at long lost...we have one more chapter left for this story until we get to the last Hobbit movie. Stay tuned for the next chapter for what my plans will be!**


	13. To Kill A Dragon

**TO KILL A DRAGON**

In his mind, his vision of Jeanne was burning alive. Her white skin had turned an ugly and gritty black and started to flake off. The vibrant hue of her blue eyes was wide and woven together with fear and despair, and her face was distorted and roaring, screaming like a siren with this ear-shattering pitch that came straight from her lungs and went all the way to her toes. Just picturing her in that state was offending his memories and filled his heart with dread and hopelessness. He blinked as many times as it took to lose that vision in his head but it kept coming back like a haunting nightmare.

Thorin honestly wouldn't know what to do with himself if he were the one to indirectly cause Jeanne's death, but it was that same exact fear that made his body move. No longer would it seize his body and turn him to stone. He was desperate and didn't care about the inferno he was going to walk into. He had his resolve to pull her from the flames and the clutches of the dragon.

He entered the mountain with as much swiftness as he could in order to search for his two companions when he came to a dead stop, glued to the floor from the endless golden seas that laid before him, shinning and blinding his eyes with its beauty and wealth. It was so absurd that it made him laugh a bit.

It was then that he suddenly became alert to Bilbo running up behind him. Luckily he was unscathed but alone. Jeanne wasn't with him though and that was worrisome.

"You're alive," Thorin said.

Bilbo was slightly out of breath and a bit more panicked than usual. He was pale beyond measure and was constantly looking over his shoulder in search of something. Either Jeanne or the dragon. Most likely both. "Not for much longer."

"Where's Jeanne?" Thorin demanded right away, his voice stern with worry. "She's not dead, is she?"

"No. She should be here soon with a...a big dragon following her." Bilbo's voice unexpectedly cracked from the stress. His eyes were bugging out of his head and he just couldn't stand still with the thought of a walking nightmare somewhere behind him.

Thorin relaxed a bit and briefly looked around. "Did you find the Arkenstone?" he questioned and his facial expression slowly morphed into something...unfamiliar. The panic he had for Jeanne was gone and replaced with this gazed and detached look in his eyes.

"Thorin, the dragon. Remember? Jeanne's almost here with it!" Bilbo reminded but his pleas went unnoticed.

"The Arkenstone? Did you find it?"

Bilbo hesitated when he noticed that Thorin was starting to become more and more unlike himself. "No, we have to get out." He took a step to leave but had his path immediately blocked when Thorin pulled his sword up, soon putting it in front of him when Bilbo backed away. "Thorin?"

Thorin was unmoved and unresponsive at this point. His eyes were totally glazed over with this cloud of greed that was growing larger with every second. It all fizzled away though when this young cry echoed through the halls filled with gold. They both turned their heads to the side and saw Jeanne's frantic and flushed figure running up the stairs. Her wild red hair was flying everywhere and stuck to the sweat running down the sides of her face. She was pale like Bilbo but had more of a sense of urgency upon her scared features.

Thorin took in a sharp breath and instinctively lowered his sword. "Jeanne?" It was like he wasn't even aware of his threats to Bilbo a half-second ago.

She was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide and terrified. She sputtered out her words as best as she could but could only manage his name. "T...T-Thorin?"

Thorin took a large step towards her and held her hand. Indeed, she was shaking like an earthquake. "Are you alright?" he asked and got a short nod in return.

"Yes, yes. We have to go. I'm sorry but he's right behind me. The dragon." She grabbed a hold of his shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

The ground below their feet began to tremble and Jeanne sucked in a deep breath. All three of them turned to the side and saw Smaug's massive figure off in the distance. His eyes glowed, looking straight at Jeanne before turning to Thorin when he pulled her from his view.

Smaug's low and seething voice made the whole mountain tremble. "Fireborn!" he hissed.

The rest of the company ran out of the safety of the halls and in front of the fierce dragon. They had weapons at the ready but nothing could compare to the hellish fire that they were facing down. They all realized in the fleeting moment that bravery was flammable.

"You will burn!" Smaug's chest began to puff up with fire brewing within his lungs.

"Come on!" Thorin shouted.

Smaug lit up the room with his bright crimson flames to try and burn out the intruders. They all managed to escape though by shoving each other down the hill of gold to escape the spewing fires that heated up the place like a boiling pot. They tumbled downhill and kicked up coins, running back into the narrow halls to escape from the dragon and his rage.

Jeanne shuddered out a breath and sat still on the ground, having to have lost the strength to move. She was absolutely petrified, beyond feeling cold. She felt nothing, actually, like her body had been totally submerged in ice water and left to have her nerves burned away. Everything down to her mind was in shambles, in total ruins. They were supposed to beat him? This creature? But how? How in the world were they to kill a dragon? Just thinking about it made Jeanne want to crawl back to her small and darkened home, deep in Valnora Forest where she knows no one will be able to find her. She wishes for nothing more than for this to be a bad dream.

Thorin reached down and picked up Jeanne by her upper arm. "Come on," he said and pulled her deeper into the mountain to try and find another way out. He made sure his hand was tightly curled around her small and dainty one, though it made his heart ache with how much she was shaking right now. He knew that Jeanne was scared, more so than the rest of them.

The dull gray walls enclosed around them and became narrower as they ran. Their hearts were beating just as loud as Smaug's heavy footsteps, still, the creature was nowhere to be seen and it had already been minutes since they last saw him.

"We've given him the slip," Dori said and was relieved, unlike Thorin and Jeanne who were still on guard.

"No, he's too cunning for that." Thorin's hand moved up Jeanne's arm and grasped her shoulder tightly. "Are you alright." He saw something shift in her eyes when he said that.

She looked detached from everything happening around her. "He's playing with us. Like what a child does when playing with his food. It's just trying to entertain itself." she said dishearteningly. Her glassy blue eyes moved over his deep-set ones. "Thorin, I don't think we're going to get out of this one."

Her words made his heart shudder. "We have to try. The western guard room. There may be a way out."

Balin shook his head. "It's too high. There's no chance that way."

"It's our only chance." He retook Jeanne's hand and led the rest of the company towards the direction of the western guard room, their salvation with a smoldering dragon lying in wait.

The unknown, the dark narrow walls, the haunting and deep footsteps of an unseen dragon, and Jeanne's own heart. Everything about the place she was in right now felt worse then Mirkwood. When in those woods, she felt reality slipping away, but in the mountain...she felt any kind of hope and determination being burned right out of her body. She was surprised though that she continued to move despite Thorin pulling at her, but maybe it was his erratic heartbeat and warm hands the kept her from falling behind and collapsing into herself.

Everyone came to a sudden halt when there was a subtle sound of chiming coins dropping from somewhere. Bilbo looked down at himself to make sure it wasn't him before gold flashed before his eyes. Jeanne's heart about stopped dead still when a large shadow loomed overhead, coins dropping from Smaug's body as he crawled over them, completely unaware of their presence. Thorin slapped his hand over Jeanne's mouth as she muffled small whimpers.

"Ssh. Ssh-ssh." Thorin hushed to her softly as they waited for Smaug to pass by them.

The dragon soon wandered off and Thorin quickly gestured to everyone, silently telling them to keep moving.

* * *

They advanced deeper into the mountain as the minutes ticked on with a dragon looming within the darkness, his belly thundering with various shades of scarlet inside. The farther they go the more the air was starting to get musty, a strange odor of some kind. It was stale and unpleasant and it made Jeanne want to hold her breath, but the lack of air already in her lungs prevented her from doing so.

"Stay close." Thorin urged everyone as they approached the western guard room, buried within the mountain. The narrow tunnels were far enough away that they didn't have to worry about Smaug following them in, but that doesn't exclude his breath of fire. They all were still concerned about him flushing them out.

They ran right into the guard room and immediately felt their tiny slivers of hope get burned out of their bodies. Within the dark corners of the room was a mass hoard of dried up and decrepit bodies of their lost kin, the ones who didn't make it out of the mountain from all those years ago. Their skin was a dark and filthy gray, stretched far across their faces that gave them a very skeletal appearance. They were even giving off this musty and suffocating smell that Jeanne immediately recognized to be from before.

It was a strange sight for her to witness and never had she remembered looking at something like this before, only to feel...very confused. It was almost instantaneous, the feeling of hopelessness, a hole in her heart that was acting as a void and sucking up what was left of her. She took a single breath and spoke once. "Oh..." Jeanne backed away against the wall and slid down it into a sitting position. Her eyes froze over like water in a severe winter storm and never left the bodies. She saw them clinging together in their final moments. Men and women alike, and she could even see children in the dried up arms of their mothers. It made her wonder if that is what people did if they saw death approaching. "What happened?"

"The last of our kin." Balin turned away from the grim sight. "They must've come here, hoping beyond hope."

Dwalin's eyes fixated on the tunnel at the far end of the room, blocked off by fallen wreckage of stone. "That's it then. There's no way out,"

Thorin tightened his jaw and walked up towards the bodies of his kin. His face was hardened, unyielding, and refusing to falter. He wasn't done fighting yet, refusing to lay down and just die like it was easier to do. "No. I will not die like this. Cowering, clawing for breath." His words pierced deep but not as much as Jeanne's was.

"Does it matter?" she said.

Thorin stiffened and turned his head very slowly towards Jeanne. She was sitting on the ground, knees up and pushed against her chest. The color had drained from her skin and the faith was lost from her eyes, strangely though, her face looked oddly relaxed and defeated at the same time. She didn't look scared...just empty and tired.

He furrowed his eyebrows and wished his ears were deceiving him. "What did you say?" he asked again, walking over to her. "Jeanne, do you want to die like this?"

"Thorin, I shouldn't even be alive in the first place. I was never made for this world." Whenever she thought back to Smaug's words, her heart was filled with this kind of breaking emotion that made her body go limp. It was despair, she realized. "No one wants to die. I...don't want to die, but what exactly can we do?" She looked and met his intense gaze that stared astonished at her.

"We make for the forges." Thorin compromised.

Jeanne cocked a brow and placed her hands on her knees, pushing her trembling body up. "That's your play?"

"You have a better idea?" He ground his teeth together.

"You think he won't see us? It's a death run, Thorin."

"Not if we split up."

Jeanne's face was nothing but a hollow slate. "We'll never make it," her voice cracked and her eyes began to water. She felt like she was going to cry but was greatly surprised when Thorin roughly grabbed her shoulder and pulled one hand to the back of her neck, forcing her eyes on his. It stunned her so much that her eyes immediately dried up.

"Jeanne," he said and leaned his forehead against hers. He could feel her heartbeat. It was a small thing but beating quite frantically. It was a sign that she was alive though. She just had to have the will to carry it out. "We lead him to the forges," he said and pulled his head away, searching for some kind of spark within her hollow eyes.

"And what?"

"We killed the dragon," he said, growing with confidence that was hotter and brighter then Smaug's flames or Mount Doom. "If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together."

He ran his hands from her neck, down to her shoulders, then to her arms. His rough hands made her shiver and become breathless all of a sudden. Her heart throbbed and she looked up and saw his gaze pleating with her. A flicker crossed Jeanne's eyes at that moment and they began to widen slowly. Brightly. Thorin could finally see it, what he had longed to witness for a while now. A will to live. A will to fight.

Her lips trembled before she bit down hard on them, drawing blood but holding everything back. Jeanne took a breath, still shaking but not as worried as before. "Okay."

* * *

Smaug slithered his way through the wide-open space and kept his keen eyes on the multiple narrow paths that any of the intruders could pop out from. "Flee! Flee! Run for your lives!" he hissed through his razor-sharp teeth that spewed hot breath. "There is nowhere to hide."

He was mainly keeping his eyes out for Jeanne though and the spark of fierce redness that came from her hair. She may not be aware of it yet but she does have some capability to hold him off and even perhaps turn the tables on him. Smaug wasn't sure and it was the fact that he didn't is what set his heart in a state of honest worry. He knew he needed to kill her, kill her more than Thorin and the rest of the company.

He turned his head and spotted Thorin, Bilbo, and Balin running out of the narrow halls and into the open, right in view of the dragon. They all came to a stop when Smaug started to rush them, his chest burning with fire ready to burst.

"Behind you!" Voices shouted out from behind the mighty dragon. "Come on!"

Smaug turned around quickly and saw Ori, Dori, and Bombur in the opposite direction. Jeanne was still nowhere to be found though, which was infuriating.

"Hey, you!" Dawlin's rough voice belted out from the other end of the halls, catching Smaug's attention and drawing him away from Thorin's team.

Thorin waited until the rest of his company lured the dragon away from before looking back to the hall they came out of. He made sure his voice was quiet. "Jeanne, come on. Quickly." He wasn't a fool and he was aware of Smaug's plan for Jeanne, which is why he had her lay back and wait it out.

Jeanne poked her stark white face out from behind the wall and nervously looked around. She hiked her dress up a bit and made haste across the bridge over to Thorin and them. "How far are the forges?" she asked and ran beside Bilbo.

"Not far," Thorin assured her. "Just keep running. Don't stop"

* * *

They all eventually made it to the forges but were met with an unfortunate sight. All the pots were cold and the gold that was inside it had long since cooled down and turned solid. Smaug was right behind them and they were sure that they didn't even have a minute to think of another plan.

"The plan's not gonna work. These furnaces are stone-cold," Dwalin said.

"He's right." Balin pointed out, much to Jeanne's dismay. She could feel it in her bones that Smaug was drawing near. "We've no fire hot enough to set them ablaze."

The light didn't waver from Thorin's eyes. "Have we not?" He turned around and approached the iron bars. "I did not look to see you so easily outwitted!"

Smaug slowly rose his head up and glared through the bars at him, eyes become blazed with anger. The heat that was radiating off him was scorching hot and it was even causing Jeanne some discomfort.

"Thorin?" She feared what he was doing but already had a pretty good guess.

"You have grown slow and fat in dotage. Slug!" Thorin saw Smaug began to take in a deep breath. He quickly turned around to the rest of his company. "Take cover. Go!"

Thorin yanked hard on Jeanne and wrapped her up in his arms to shield her from what was about to come, just as the rest of the company ran to hide behind the stone pillars. Smaug then unleashed his breath of fire from his inferno-like lungs and torched the forges that were right in front of them. The intense heat of his breath was just hot enough to ignite them once more. Everyone then backed away from the iron bars when Smaug began to slam his body against them, trying to break into the room. The bars were bending with every hard blow so they only had minutes before he completely broke through.

"Bombur! Get those billows working. Go!" Thorin ordered before gesturing over to Bilbo and Jeanne. "You two, up there. On my mark, pull that lever." He pointed up to a flight of stairs that had a lever up top.

Everyone's ears were beginning to ring with the sharp sound of yielding metal against Smaug's strong scales. The bars couldn't hold it anymore. They were going to break at any moment. Jeanne tried to become unfazed by the sound and just focused on getting herself and Bilbo up the stairs towards the lever. She stopped when up top when there was a loud snapping vibration of the bars being broken. The dragon had managed to jam his claws through, peel them away, and climb into the large room.

Smaug's belly was growing gold with fire hissing out from his teeth. He looked around briefly before he finally caught a glimpse of raging scarlet hair. He found Jeanne upon a cliff overlooking the forges. "Fireborn..." he hissed the name with disgust. "Have you made peace with yourself? Are you ready to die?"

Jeanne could feel the heat upon her face as it blew her hair back. It tickled her skin but her eyes refused to leave the dragon as he approached her. Whether she was scared or not didn't matter. With all her heart and soul, she knew that the dragon had to fall tonight. Her lips were trembling and she struggled to swallow her words, something happened within her eyes though that caused them to turn as hard as diamonds. "The...the only one who will not see the morning sun...will be you!" Her voice had all the power of a great storm that made the dragon shudder.

Smaug came to an unexpected halt and stood before her burning frame. Her body was smoldering with scarlet flares and her hair fluttered upwards that made it looked like it was on fire, a crown made of unperishable flames. Her image flickered between two people. A red blaze of unstoppable conquest and a little girl that was ruthlessly thrown into the world. She was both though, two versions of herself that had blurred together into what he was looking at right now.

It was wrong. She was wrong. Smaug couldn't see into the future but he could imagine what it would be like, and he didn't like it.

He had to stop her there and now before she could actually turn into that unstoppable force.

"I think it's about time for you to perish from this world," Smaug growled and opened his jaw up wide before rushing at her.

"Now!" Thorin shouted.

Bilbo jumps up to the lever and pulled it down, releasing massive currents of water that doused Smaug and his flames out before he could kill Jeanne. The dragon's body trampled backward out the way but his tail swung up towards the overlook that Jeanne and Bilbo were standing on. The lady managed to pull Bilbo and herself down just as the tail whipped right over their heads and struck the stone walls and the pillars holding the cliff up. They began to hear the crumbling sound of the structure starting to fall before the whole thing collapsed on them. Jeanne held on tightly to Bilbo as they rolled down the smooth stone back to the ground safely.

Thorin pulled down on a large chain that released the molten gold from the pots and onto a path on the floor. "Lead him to the Gallery of the Kings!" he ordered and grabbed a wheelbarrow from off the wall, using it to ride down the path of liquefied gold. "Keep going, Jeanne, Bilbo! Run!" Thorin roared back at them.

They both looked up and saw Smaug returning from the rainfall and was literally steaming with anger. They both rushed up from the ground and made a dash towards the Gallary of the Kings with the dragon running right behind them, tearing up the floor and lighting the room with fire.

* * *

Jeanne and Bilbo ran into the wide-open gallery room just when Smaug broke through the wall behind them and quickly got in front. Jeanne came to a quick stop and Bilbo ran straight into her back, almost knocking each other over.

"You think you can deceive me, Fireborn?" Smaug held his head up high and glared intensely down at them. "You have come from Lake-town. This is some sordid scheme hatched between these filthy dwarves and those miserable trading lakemen. Those sniveling cowards with their long bows and black arrows. Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit." He sharply turned his head towards the door that would lead him out of the mountain, right towards the town.

Jeanne's eyes widen and she sucked in a deep breath. "Stop!" she shouted with her shrill voice. "They have nothing to do with this!"

Smaug turned his head and appeared like he was smirking down at her desperation. "Oh? You care about them. How absurd." He lowered his head and hissed venom and heat at her. "Then before I kill you...you can watch them suffer first. Knowing that their death...will be on your hands, You empty vessel!" He rotated his large body and took a single step towards the door as Jeanne continued to howl at him, her voice growing more and more frightful with every long stride. He stopped though when he suddenly heard Thorin's rough and deep voice.

"Here! You witless worm!"

Smaug looked and saw Thorin at the other end of the hall, standing on a large column. "You," he growled and approached him.

"I am taking back what you stole," Thorin claimed boldly.

"You will take nothing from me, Dwarf. I laid low your warriors of old. I instill terror in the hearts of men. I am King Under the Mountain."

"This is not your kingdom. These are Dwarf lands. This is Dwarf gold. And we will have our revenge." He reached his hand up to a rope and pulled on it hard while the dwarves from behind released the bindings that held the column together.

Chunks of rock peeled away from the column and glimmers of shinning gold were revealed underneath, leaving Smaug in a state of astonishment and wonder as it glowed upon his face. It was in the form of a golden statue of the previous king of all those years ago, standing at eye level with him. The dragon then noticed something odd happening with the statue when its face began to slowly droop. It then suddenly returned back to its liquid state and flood the halls with a mass overflow of molten gold. Smaug's screeched as his massive body was swept away and buried beneath the treasure that he had guarded for all those years. There was nothing, not even a single ripple in the ocean as silence guarded the gallery.

For a brief moment, Thorin believed that he had succeeded in vanquishing the dragon from his home. He looked down at Jeanne who just appeared in bewilderment at how they managed to pull this off. The silence was deceiving though as they all began to hear this deep rumble coming from beneath the molten metal. Their victory was short-lived and dissolved to nothing as Smaug burst from beneath his burial, dripping and coated in thick gold.

"Revenge!" He was fuming, angry beyond imagination as he ran for the door, droplets of gold coming off his body. "Revenge! I will show you revenge!"

He used all his might and busted down the stone door, out of the mountain, and into the dark night that was starless aside from the glassy moon. He trotted across the ground and dove off the cliff, flakes of golden falling off his body before his winged spread out wide, casting a deadly shadow across the lands below him.

He soared gracefully through the air as he spotted the town in the distance, standing still upon a lake with its dim lights acting as a beacon for him. "I am fire. I am...death!"

The air pressure from Smaug's takeoff caused a dust storm to blow upwards and blind Jeanne and Bilbo's eyes as they ran out of the mountain. They saw the dragon in the air, already so far away from them and nothing but a black mass in the sky, made of dread and fire.

Bilbo's eyes widen and shook as he collapsed to his knees upon the fallen stone door and watched in horror, blinding fright, and with terrible trembles at what just happened. He couldn't breathe as his words came out almost breathless and shattering. "What have we done?"

Jeanne was the only one who hasn't fallen to her knees and turned into a shivering mess of anxiety. Instead...her eyes were burning, shifting to this molten gold shade that danced and flickered under the glassy moonlight. She clenched her fist tightly, so tightly that she was shaking. Dark gray veins began to claw up her arms as she took a massive step forwards, over the rocks and passed Bilbo.

Bilbo picked his head up and stared puzzled as Jeanne continued to walk in the direction of the town. "Jeanne, where are you going?"

The ground below her feet ignited as she walked, these shades of red and gold sparks burning the grass and stone in her tracks. Her eyes continued to burn but what was scratching at the surface of her inferno...was fury. "To Kill a dragon."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Jeanne will return in...From Smolder To Ash!**

**Will be released on 6/12/2020**


	14. Sequel

I decided to post _From Smolder To Ash _a day early. It's up right now! Check it out!


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